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LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

GIFT   OF" 

Mrs.  SARAH  P.  WALS WORTH. 

Received  October,  1894. 
Accessions  No.&J/  b*? .      Class  No. 


// 

TWELYE    LECTURES 


ON     THE 


EVENTS 


OP 


UNFULFILLED    PROPHECY, 


WHICH 


STILL  AWAIT  THEIR  ACCOMPLISHMENT, 


AND     ABB 


APPROACHING  THEIR  FULFILLMENT. 


B  Y 


REY.  ISAAC   P.  LABAGH. 

KHCTOB     OF     OALVABY     OHUBCH,     BBOOKLTN, 


"Come  hither,  and  I  will  shew  thee  things  which  must  be  hereafter." 

— REVELATIONS,  Iv.L 


NEW    YORK: 
PUBLISHED    FOR    THE    AUTHOR. 


UITIVBESITY 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1859,  by 

ISAAC    P.    LABAGH, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


STEREOTYPED  BY 

THOMAS  B.  SMITH  &  SON, 
82  &  84  BBEKMAN-ST.,  N.  Y. 


TO    THE 

REV.   FRANCIS    L.    HAWKS,    D.D.,  LL.D., 

EEOTOE  OF  OALVAET  CHITROH,  NEW  TOEK, 

RENOWNED     AS      A     PULPIT      ORATOR, 
DISTINGUISHED     IN     THE     COUNCILS     OF     THE     CHURCH, 

ACCOMPLISHED     AS     A     HISTORIAN, 

AND     DEEPLY     VERSED     IN     THE     MYSTERIES 

OF     NATURE     AND     SCRIPTURE, 

jToll0ujing   toork   is   ftespectfallg  Inscribed 

BY    THE    AUTHOR. 


11  SWEET  is  the  harp  of  Prophecy ;  too  sweet 
Not  to  be  wronged  by  a  mere  mortal  touch ; 
Nor  can  the  wonders  it  records  be  sung 
To  meaner  music  and  not  suffer  loss. 
But  when  a  poet,  or  when  one  like  me, 
Happy  to  rove  among  poetic  flowers, 
Though  poor  in  skill  to  rear  them,  lights  at  last 
On  some  fair  theme,  some  theme  divinely  fair, 
Such  is  the  impulse  and  the  spur  he  feels 
To  give  it  praise  proportioned  to  its  worth, 
That  not  to  attempt  it,  arduous  as  he  deems 
The  labor,  were  a  task  more  arduous  still." 

COWPER'S  WINTER  WALK  AT  NOON. 


PEEFACE. 


THE  author  of  the  following  treatise  on  unfulfilled  Proph- 
ecy was  induced,  more  than  twenty  years  ago,  (in  conse- 
quence of  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  explain  a  Prophecy 
to  a  layman  who  inquired  its  meaning,)  to  give  more  earnest 
heed  than  before  to  those  things  which  the  prophets  have 
spoken.  He  felt  this  to  be  a  duty  as  well  as  pleasure  on  two 
accounts : 

1.  That  he  might  inform  and  satisfy  himself  what  the 
great  purposes  of  God  concerning  the  future  were;  and 

2.  Be  able,  as  a  public  teacher  of  God's  word,  to  show 
inquirers  after  truth  the  things  (as  he  might  discover  them) 
which  shall  be  hereafter,  according  to  the  determinate  coun~ 
sel  and  foreknowledge  of  God. 

Dark  as  the  subject  at  first  appeared  to  his  mind,  constant 
application  and  research  brought  increasing  light  and  clearer 
views,  until  at  last  he  began  to  speak  with  that  confidence 
which  one  obtains  who  feels  assured  that  he  has  been  brought 
out  of  darkness  into  light,  and  that  his  eyes  have  been  opened 
to  "  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  God's  law." 

Fully  aware  of  the  dangers  as  wrell  as  difficulties  of  this 
branch  of  sacred  study,  he  has  not  been  intimidated  by 
either,  but  trusting  in  the  promise  that  they  who  seek  for 
truth  in  God's  word  as  for  hid  treasure,  shall  find  it,  he  has 
persevered  in  searching  into  the  deep  things  of  God — things 
declared  to  be  "hidden  from  the  wise  and  the  prudent," 
but  promised  to  be  "  revealed  unto  babes." 


VI  PREP  ACE. 

Concerning  the  dangers  and  difficulties  of  the  study  of 
Prophecy,  the  author  would  offer  a  few  remarks. 

One  great  danger  or  propensity  of  all  interpreters  of  Proph- 

5y,  is  to  turn  prophets  themselves,  and  to  substitute  their 
own  theories  for  the  verities  which  the  prophets  announce. 
This  is  a  danger  most  frequently  fallen  into  by  those  who 
are  committed  to  certain  chronological  periods,  and  have  at- 
tempted with  great  positiveness  to  fix  the  times  of  their  ex- 
piration. Of  this  we  have  had  frequent  examples  in  our  own 
as  well  as  former  periods.  Millerism,  e.  g.,  entirely  ignored  or 
explained  away  several  of  the  most  important  events  yet  to 
take  place,  because  it  had  fixed  the  termination  of  all  things 
at  so  near  a  period,  (1843,)  that  time  sufficient  for  their  ful- 
fillment did  not  remain. 

Another  danger  arises  from  having  the  mind  strongly  bi- 
ased in  favor  of  some  theory  of  the  future,  and  then  investi- 
gating the  Prophecies  under  that  influence ;  e.  g.,  believing 
that  the  only  blessing  in  store  for  the  Jews  is  conversion  to 
Christianity,  and  that  therefore  the  prophets  are  not  to  be 
understood  as  predicting  their  national  restoration  and  re- 
turn to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  in  those  passages  in  which 
this  is  the  literal  meaning  and  natural  import  of  the  language^ 
There  is  much  "  handling  of  the  word  of  God  deceitfully," 
by  wresting  it  from  its  plain  and  obvious  meaning  to  make 
it  speak  figuratively  the  sentiments  we  prefer  to  hold. 

Still  another  danger  arises  from  the  great  desire  some 
have  to  show  that  almost  all  the  Prophecies  have  already 
been  fulfilled,  and  then  selecting  events  which  bear  only  a 
remote  resemblance,  and  that,  too,  in  a  few  particulars,  to 
those  predictions.  Take,  e.  g.,  the  Waldenses  and  Albigen- 
ses,  which  some  interpreters  declare  to  be  the  Two  Witness- 
es of  Revelations,  xi.,  and  whose  massacre  in  Europe,  they 
think,  was  foreshadowed  by  the  martyrdom  of  the  Two  WIT- 


PKEFAOE.  Vll 

NESSES  in  the  street  of  the  great  city,  spiritually  called  Sod- 
om and  Egypt,  where  our  Lord  was  crucified.  From  two 
or  three  accidental  points  of  coincidence,  they  interpret  this 
to  be  a  fulfillment  of  that  Prophecy,  although  in  many  of  the 
most  essential  characteristics  there  is  an  utter  failure. 

The  last  danger  we  shall  mention,  incident  to  the  mter-»VX 
preters  of  Prophecy,  is  a  tendency  to  exalt  prophetical  above  *\ 
doctrinal  and  practical  truth,  and  making  it  the  GREAT  SUB-  J 
JECT  to  be  preached  at  all  times,  under  all  circumstances  ana*""-"* 
on  all  occasions.     This  is  the  infirmity  of  enthusiasts  on  this 
theme,  and  is  as  injurious  to  the  cause  as  is  the  indifferent 
of  those  who  boldly  proclaim  thatr  unfulfilled  Prophecy 
not  to  be  understood  until  it  is  fulfilled,  and  that,  therefore,' 
it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  understand,  and  especially  to 
terpret  it. 

From  these  and  other  errors  into  which  expounders  of 
unfulfilled  Prophecy  have  fallen,  the  author  has  endeavored 
to  learn  a  useful  lesson,  and  to  profit  by  their  mistakes  ;  and 
he  trusts  that  the  reader  will  not  discover  any  of  them 
throughout  these  discourses.  Having  pointed  out  these 
DANGERS,  it  is  proper  briefly  to  touch  upon  the  DIFFICUL- 
TIES of  the  interpretation  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy. 

The  greatest  of  these  arises  from  the  FRAGMENTARY  char- 
acter of  Prophecy.  A  predicted  event  is  broken  up  into 
several  parts,  and  these  are  distributed  among  several  proph- 
ets, each  of  whom  predicts  the  portion  given  him,  but  none 
the  whole.  Thus,  the  entire  career  of  our  Lord  upon  earth 
was  foretold  by  the  Old  Testament  prophets:  Moses  de- 
claring the  family  from  which  He  should  descend ;  Daniel, 
the  time,  and  Micah,  the  place  of  His  birth  ;  Isaiah,  the  vir- 
ginity of  His  mother  and  the  propitiatory  character  of  His 
sufferings;  David,  His  resurrection  and  ascension;  and  Zech- 
ariah,  His  triumphant  entrance  into  Jerusalem,  etc.,  etc. 


viii  PREFACE. 

Now  to  have  a  distinct  view  of  His  whole  career,  as  fore- 
told by  the  prophets,  we  must  collect  together  these  and 
other  fragments  of  the  prophets  and  unite  them  in  one  har- 
monious whole,  and  hence  arises  the  great  difficulty  of  the 
interpreter  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy.  This  was,  and  still  is  the 
stone  of  stumbling  to  the  Jew,  who  can  not  Jit  in  those 
Prophecies  of  Christ's  glory  and  triumph  as  a  conqueror, 
with  those  of  His  shame  and  humiliation  as  a  sufferer,  which 
the  prophets  foretold. 

We  know  not  how  we  can  illustrate  more  clearly  this  fea- 
ture of  the  prophetic  writings,  than  by  comparing  it  to  one 
of  those  inventions  for  the  entertainment  of  the  young,  called 
a  "  CHINESE  PUZZLE,"  in  which  a  beautiful  picture  is  first 
drawn  on  a  flat  surface  of  board  or  pasteboard,  then  divided 
into  a  great  number  of  parts  of  curious  shapes  and  different 
sizes,  then  thrown  into  confusion  to  be  gathered  and  again 
united  in  one  harmonious  whole,  which  is  not  unfrequently 
a  task  of  difficult  accomplishment. 

So  God  has  pictured  out  the  future  for  us  in  His  word, 
and  scattered  it  in  parts  throughout  the  sacred  pages,  to  be 
collected  and  united  in  one  harmonious  whole,  not,  however, 
without  toilsome  effort,  (often,  perhaps,  unsuccessful,)  yet 
not  to  be  abandoned  on  that  account.  For,  if  those  seeking 
amusement  with  the  ingenious  contrivances  of  human  skill 
will  devote  hours  to  arrange  the  separated  parts  of  a  broken 
picture,  that  they  may  see  in  its  entirety  the  view  it  pre- 
sents, with  how  much  more  assiduity  should  students  of  the 
oracles  of  God  collect  the  separated  parts  of  that  picture 
of  the  future  which  the  divine  artist  has  drawn,  divided  and 
distributed  through  many  inspired  books,  that  peradventure, 
by  a  careful  comparison  of  things  spiritual  with  spiritual, 
the  whole  may  be  brought  into  such  unity  that  a  clear 
and  distinct  view  of  the  portentous  future  may  be  obtained. 


PREFACE.  IX 

The  author,  therefore,  after  many  years  of  careful  reflection 
on  this  subject,  offers  to  the  public  the  results  of  these  labors, 
and  presents  that  picture  of  the  future  which  he  has  con- 
structed from  those  scattered  parts  which  he  has  gathered 
out  of  the  prophets,  from  Moses  to  St.  John  the  divine. 

As  there  have  been  many  authors  and  many  works  on  this 
difficult  branch  of  divine  study,  he  does  not  ask  that  those 
still  seeking  information  will  -reject  such  views  as  to  them 
have  heretofore  appeared  plausible,  if  not  satisfactory,  but 
only  requests  them  just  "  to  look  on  this  picture,  then  on 
that,"  and  judge  which  is  truest  to  the  original ;  and  if  the 
results  of  his  labors  in  this  department  of  sacred  study  shall 
be  of  any  assistance  to  others  desiring  to  prosecute  it,  or 
shall  stir  up  any  who  have  heretofore  neglected  it,  to  give 
the  more  earnest  heed  to  the  revelation  of  God's  word  con- 
cerning the  future,  he  will  not  regret  that  he  has  committed 
his  work  to  the  press,  although  it  may  expose  him  to  the  un- 
friendly criticism  of  those  who  distrust  or  condemn  all  trea- 
tises on  this  subject,  and  consider  it  presumptuous  in  any 
one  to  attempt  to  read  the  future  from  God's  word,  notwith- 
standing He  has  said,  "  Come  hither,  and  I  will  show  thee 
things  which  must  be  hereafter."  It  is  quite  natural  that 
those  who  justify  their  neglect  to  explain  that  large  portion 
of  the  word  of  God  which  relates  to  those  events  yet  to  be 
accomplished  on  the  earth,  by  the  assumption,  that  the  only 
interpreter  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy  is  the  fulfillment  itself, 
should  look  with  DISAPPROBATION,  or  at  least  distrust,  upon 
all  attempts  to  draw  aside  that  (to  them)  impenetrable  vail, 
and  to  see  any  thing  beyond  it.  But  if  the  great  Prophet  of 
the  Church  has  said,  "These  things  have  I  told  you  be- 
fore it  come  to  pass,  that  when  it  is  come  to  pass  ye  may 
believe ;"  we  certainly  can  not  go  far  astray  if  we  give  earn- 
est heed  to  the  things  He  has  spoken,  and  endeavor  to  under- 


X  PREFACE. 

stand  -WHAT  HE  HAS  SAID,  that  we  may  know  what  to  believe. 
For  unless  unfulfilled  Prophecy  can  be  to  some  extent  un- 
derstood, it  will  be  impossible  to  know  WHAT  is  TO  BE  FUL- 
FILLED ;  and  then  Prophecy,  instead  of  being  a  "  light  shining 
in  a  dark  place,  to  which  we  do  well  to  take  heed  until  the 
day  dawn,"  would  be  a  system  of  hieroglyphics  in  which 
would  be  buried  whatever  the  "Spirit  hath  said  unto  the 
Churches  "  of  the  future  purppses  of  God.  We  can  not  think 
that  such  is  the  character  of  the  prophetic  word  of  God  ; 
but  feel  a  deep  conviction  that  our  Lord  intended  us  both 
to  hear  and  understand  the  things  which  He  declared  should 
come  to  pass,  when,  having  pointed  out  to  His  disciples  a 
number  of  those  things  which  were  still  in  the  future,  He 
added,  Matthew  xxiv.  25, 

«  BEHOLD,  I  HAVE  TOLD  YOU  BEFORE." 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE!. 

PAGB 

Introductory  Discourse  on  the  Importance  and  Duty  of  the  Study  of 
Prophecy.        .  15 

LECTURE     II. 

The  Restoration  and  Conversion  of  the  Jews  and  their  Reestablish- 
ment  in  the  Land  of  Canaan. 24 

LECTURE    III. 

The  Recovery  of  the  Lost  Ten  Tribes,  and  their  Reunion  with  the  Two 
Tribes  as  one  Nation,  in  the  Land  of  Canaan 41 

LECTURE    IY. 

The-  Rise,  Reign,  and  Overthrow  of  the  Infidel  Antichrist,  the  Last 
Head  of  the  Roman  Empire 61 

LECTURE    V. 

The  Ministry  and  Martyrdom  of  the  TWO  "WITNESSES;  the  Time, 
the  Place,  and  the  End  of  their  Testimony  for  Christ.         .        .  83 

LECTURE    VI. 

The  Overthrow  of  Romanism  and  Mohammedanism,  the  two  great  En- 
emies of  the  Gospel  of  Christ 108 


CONTENTS. 


LECTURE    VII. 

PAQB 

The  Calamities  and  Distresses  which  fall  upon  the  Nations  of  the  Earth 
at  the  Close  of  this  Dispensation. 135 


LECTURE    VIII. 

The  Battle  of  Armageddon,  where  Fought,  and  its  Eesults  to  the  Jews 
and  to  the  Gentiles.  160 


LECTURE    IX. 

The  Binding  of  Satan,  and  his  Expulsion  from  the  Earth.         .        .      183 

LECTURE    X. 

The  Introduction  of  the  New  Dispensation. 206 

LECTURE    XI. 

The  First  Resurrection  and  Reign  of  the  Saints  with  Christ  for  a  Thou- 
sand Years  on  the  renewed  Earth 228 

LECTURE    XII. 

The  Distinguishing  Features  of  the  Millennial  Dispensation,  which  are, 
1.  Fertility  of  the  Earth ;  2.  Longevity  of  its  Inhabitants ;  3.  Peace 
and  Quietness  of  all  Nations ;  4.  Universal  Prevalence  of  Knowl- 
edge and  Holiness, 241 

LECTURE    XIII. 

The  Difference  between  the  Millennial  Dispensation  and  the  New  Jeru- 
salem State.  .  269 


0?  THE 

UFIVBRSIT7 


LECTURE    I. 

IHSTTROIDTJCTORY. 

"  Seek  ye  out  of  the  book  of  the  Lord  and  read :  no  one  of  these  shall  fail, 
none  shall  want  her  mate,  for  my  mouth  it  hath  commanded,  and  his  Spirit 
it  hath  gathered  them." — ISAIAH,  xxxiv.  16. 

KNOWN  unto  God  are  all  His  works  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world.  The  counsel  of  the  Lord  standeth 
for  ever,  the  thoughts  of  His  heart  to  all  generations. 
These  declarations  of  inspired  writers  agree  with  what 
the  Lord  spake  ,by  the  mouth  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah  to 
His  ancient  people.  Remember  the  former  things  of 
old,  for  I  am  God  and  there  is  none  else.  I  am  God 
and  there  is  none  like  me — declaring  the  end  from  the 
beginning,  and  from  ancient  times  the  things  that  are 
not  yet  done,  saying,  my  counsel  shall  stand  and  I  will 
do  all  my  pleasure.  When  we  look  at  the  history  of 
God's  Providence  we  find  it  to  be  one  of  the  most  lucid 
interpreters  of  His  word.  Many  portions  of  holy  Scrip- 
ture would  be  for  ever  sealed  to  us  were  Divine  Provi- 
dence not  acknowledged  and  admitted  as  an  expounder 
of  them.  In  fact  a  large  portion  of  holy  Scripture  always 
has  treated  of  things  in  the  future,  and  was  dependent 
for  its  verification  upon  the  coming  to  pass  of  those  pre- 
dicted events,  so  that  when  the  events  did  happen,  they 
became  the  world  wide  and  manifest  explanations  of  them. 


14  INTRODUCTORY. 

Providence  interpreted  Prophecy,  or  rather  we  should 
say  confirmed  it,  that  the  whole  world  might  see  that 
although  "all  flesh  is  grass  and  all  the  glory  of  man  is 
as  the  flower  of  the  field,  the  word  of  God  abideth  for 
ever,"  and  that  nothing  is  more  sure  than  that  "  one  jot 
or  tittle  of  the  law  shall  not  fail  till  all  be  fulfilled." 

In  the  chapter  from  which  the  text  is  taken,  God,  by 
the  mouth  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  foretells  the  final  de- 
struction and  overthrow  of  an  enemy  of  His  and  of  His 
people  Israel  and  of  His  Church  which  shall  take  place 
in  the  midst  of  scenes  of  such  terrific  grandeur  and  furi- 
ous slaughter  that  the  heavens  and  earth  shall  quake 
and  all  nature  tremble  with  horror.  Although  the  ene- 
my is  described  under  the  general  name  of  Idumea,  be- 
cause, when  the  prophet  wrote,  Edom  was  the  bitter 
enemy  of  Israel,  yet  it  is  evident  from  tke  whole  descrip- 
tion that  this  is  only  a  generic  title,  as  are  also  Assyria 
and  Babylon.  In  the  vengeance  poured  out  upon  the 
foes  of  Israel  and  Israel's  God,  the  inhabitants  of  Idu- 
mea shall  come  in  for  their  share,  and  their  country  may 
possibly  be  a  part  of  the  battle  ground  in  which  the 
Lord  will  avenge  the  quarrel  of  His  Covenant,  when,  as 
the  prophet  says,  verse  3,  "  His  indignation  shall  be  upon 
all  nations  and  his  fury  upon  all  their  armies/'  But 
there  is  evidently  much  in  this  chapter  which  can  not 
and  does  not  apply  to  any  great  conflict  in  which  the 
interests  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  have  yet  been  con- 
cerned. What  the  prophet  declares  in  verse  8  to  be  the 
cause  of  this  war,  viz.,  "  the  day  of  the  Lord's  vengeance 
and  the  year  of  recompenses  for  the  controversy  of  Zion," 
has  evidently  never  yet  taken  place,  for  the  people  referred 


INTRODUCTORY.  15 

to  are  still  dispersed  and  with  few  exceptions  oppressed  all 
over  the  earth.  Neither  will  the  conflict  here  described 
ever  be  realized  until  their  deliverance  is  effected.  What- 
ever plausible  interpretations  commentators  may  give 
of  this  Prophecy  we  have  this  one  evidence  of  their  be- 
ing either  true  or  false,  viz.,  the  manner  in  which  their 
interpretations  affect  the  fortunes  of  the  Jewish  people. 
They  are  the  key  note  of  the  Prophecy,  without  which 
every  interpretation  is  out  of  tune,  and  can  make  no  har- 
mony with  the  text  And  any  interpretation  which 
leaves  them  in  their  present  state  has  a  prima  facie  evi- 
dence of  its  falsity. 

We  must  therefore  regard  this  whole  Prophecy  as 
still  future,  and  if  so,  as  still  awaiting  that  providential 
exposition  which  in  the  time  appointed  of  God  it  shall 
receive. 

Now  if  twenty-five  hundred  years  ago  the  Prophet 
Isaiah,  having  delivered  this  prediction  with  all  its  de- 
tails, called  attention  to  it  by  saying  in  the  words  of  the 
text,  "  Seek  ye  out  of  the  book  of  the  Lord  and  read  :  no 
one  of  these  shall  fail,  none  shall  want  her  mate,  for  my 
mouth  it  hath  commanded,  and  my  Spirit  it  hath  gath- 
ered them  ;"  with  how  much  more  force  do  these  words 
come  to  us  now,  standing,  perhaps,  on  the  verge  of  the 
fulfillment  of  this  Prophecy.  How  does  it  become  us,  in 
the  remarkable  times  in  which  we  live,  while  wonderful 
events  are  constantly  taking  place,  to  keep  an  eye  upon 
the  Scriptures  of  truth  and  see  whether  some  of  these 
events  which  are  taking  place  may  not  be  the  MATES,  to 
use  the  language  of  the  prophet,  which  the  prediction 
has  long  been  waiting  for.  Every  Prophecy  is  engaged 


16  INTRODUCTORY. 

to  those  events  in  which  it  is  to  be  fulfilled  by  the  prom- 
ise of  God,  and  therefore  the  fulfillment  is  called  its  mate 
for  which  it  waits  in  confidence  and  sometimes  very  long; 
when  the  mate  arrives  and  the  union  between  the  thing 
predicted  and  the  thing  accomplished  takes  place,  then 
Prophecy  becomes  History. 

Almost  all  the  great  historical  events  which  have  be- 
fallen the  world  and  the  Church,  have  been  matters  of 
Prophecy  before  they  became  matters  of  History.  The 
flood  was  foretold  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  before 
it  took  place.  The  deliverance  from  the  bondage  of 
Egypt  four  hundred  years  before  it  was  accomplished. 
All  the  events  of  our  Lord's  life  many  centuries  before 
His  advent.  His  birth,  suffering,  death,  resurrection  and 
ascension,  which  were  for  ages  matters  of  prediction,  are 
now  subjects  or  events  of  history.  The  rise  and  fall  of 
the  four  great  empires  which  have  successively  borne  rule 
over  the  whole  earth,  and  which  so  many  historians  have 
chronicled,  Daniel  wrote  prophetically  during  the  exist- 
ence of  the  first  of  them,  and  Bollin  has  written  histori- 
cally, together  with  Gibbon,  since  the  fall  of  the  last. 
None  of  these  Prophecies  has  wanted  her  mate;  just  the 
things  foretold  have  been  fulfilled;  and  why?  For  the 
reason  given  in  the  text,  "  my  mouth  it  hath  commanded 
them,  and  my  Spirit  it  hath  gathered  them!'  That  secret 
influence  which  God  exerts  over  matter  and  mind  and 
the  motives  of  men,  directing  them  according  to  His 
will,  is  called  in  the  text  His  Spirit  ivhich  gathers  them, 
i.  e.,  gathers  together  those  circumstances  which  control 
those  events  which  (sometimes  indeed  unconsciously 
and  often  unintentionally  to  those  who  are  actors  in  the 


INTRODUCTORY.  17 

scenes)  produce  the  very  results  which  the  prophet  fore- 
told. We  have  a  remarkable  example  of  this  in  the  ful- 
fillment of  our  Saviour's  Prophecy  concerning  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  and  the  overthrow  of  the  temple. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  Roman  general  was  anxious  to 
preserve  that  beautiful  structure  intact,  and  gave  orders 
to  that  effect,  but  a  Roman  soldier,  in  a  mad  frenzy, 
rushed  with  a  torch  into  the  holy  place  and  threw  it 
from  him,  whereupon  the  whole  temple  was  almost  in- 
stantaneously, as  if  by  a  miracle,  in  a  blaze,  and  the  fire, 
which  seemed  to  be  maddened  by  a  divine  purpose,  could 
not  be  extinguished. 

How  wonderfully  have  all  the  predictions  of  Moses  and 
the  prophets  concerning  the  dispersion  and  oppression 
of  the  Jews  been  fulfilled  in  their  minutest  particulars. 
The  history  of  that  race  for  centuries  past  has  been  a 
living  commentary  on  those  Scriptures  which  they  have 
preserved  with  such  pious  care.  Seek  ye  out  of  the  book 
of  the  Lord  and  read,  ye  who  have  any  doubts  of  divine 
inspiration,  and  tell  us,  who  are  these  "people  that 
dwell  alone  and  are  not  reckoned  among  the  nations," 
who  have  maintained  a  separate  existence  for  so  many 
centuries  among  the  multitudes  of  the  Grentiles,  without 
a  country  and  a  home,  and  yet  have  not  been  called  by 
their  names,  but  have  preferred  the  name  of  Israelite 
above  that  of  any  other  nation ;  whom  no  oppression 
could  subdue  nor  any  motive  of  gain  induce  to  become 
Gentiles  either  by  religion  or  by  intermarriage  ?  Are  they 
not  those  whose  history  was  written  by  the  pen  of  in- 
spiration, first  as  Prophecy  ?  Do  they  not  resemble  in 
all  the  events  of  their  wonderful  career  those  to  whom 


18  INTRODUCTORY. 

Moses  said,  "It  shall  come  to  pass,  if  thou  wilt  not 
hearken  unto  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God  to  observe 
to  do  all  His  commandments,  that  the  Lord  shall  cause 
thee  to  be  smitten  before  thine  enemies,  and  thou  shalt 
be  removed  unto  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  and  the 
Lord  shall  scatter  thee  among  all  people,  and  among 
those  nations  thou  shalt  find  no  ease,  but  the  Lord  shall 
give  thee  a  trembling  heart  and  sorrow  of  mind,  and  thou 
shalt  have  none  assurance  of  thy  life,  but  shall  be  a  prov- 
erb, a  bye-word  and  a  hissing  among  all  people  ?"  How 
wonderfully  has  this  been  verified  for  centuries  past !  and 
although  this  land  was  the  first  to  set  an  example  of 
toleration  to  that  race  by  the  removal  of  all  civil  disabil- 
ities and  odious  restrictions  of  social  intercourse,  yet  in 
Europe,  Asia  and  Africa  it  still  exists  (with  some  ex- 
ceptions) in  an  almost  unmitigated  degree,  and  accord- 
ing to  the  very  letter  of  the  prediction  made  more  than 
three  thousand  years  ago.  What  shall  we  say  to  these 
things,  but  that  "  there  is  none  like  Him  who  declares 
the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  from  ancient  times  the 
things  that  are  not  yet  done,  saying,  My  counsel  shall 
stand  and  I  will  do  all  my  pleasure  ?"  As  History  has 
always  been  the  best  practical  commentator  on  Proph- 
ecy in  ages  past,  so  it  will  perform  the  same  useful  office 
to  the  word  of  God  in  ages  to  come. 

The  unwritten  history  of  Prophecy  will  probably  be 
much  more  interesting  than  that  which  is  written,  be- 
cause the  events  yet  to  take  place  are  more  terrible  and 
glorious  than  those  which  have  already  been  accomplish- 
ed. What,  for  example,  is  the  first  coming  of  our  Lord 
to  the  second  ?  What  the  deliverance  of  the  Jews  from 


INTKODTTCTORY.  19 

Egypt,  or  restoration  from  Babylon,  to  their  final  ingath- 
ering from  their  long  and  wide  dispersion  over  the  whole 
earth  ?  What  is  the  Old  Testament  or  the  New  Testa- 
ment dispensation  to  that  which  shall  be  introduced  at 
the  second  coming  of  the  Lord  and  the  millennial  reign  ? 
What  the  past  success  of  the  Gospel  to  that  which  it 
shall  enjoy  when  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  shall  cover 
the  earth  as  the  waters  do  the  sea  ?  In  fact,  some  of  the 
most  splendid  and  glorious  Prophecies  of  the  whole  word 
of  God  yet  remain  to  be  fulfilled.  Some  of  the  most  as- 
tonishing works  both  of  mercy  and  judgment  are  yet  to 
be  performed,  and  some  of  the  most  astounding  miracles 
to  be  wrought — miracles  in  nature  and  miracles  in  grace. 
Some  suppose  that  the  age  of  miracles  has  for  ever  pass- 
ed away,  and  the  day  for  stupendous  events  and  marvel- 
ous occurrences  will  never  return  ;  but  surely  such  can 
not  read  the  word  of  God  with  care.  That  sure  word  of 
Prophecy,  "  whereunto  we  do  well  to  take  heed  as  unto 
a  light  shining  in  a  dark  place,"  speaks  of  a  variety  of 
events  which  are  yet  to  burst  upon  an  astonished  world, 
and  show  the  complete  fulfillment  of  works  begun  long 
ago  but  not  yet  perfected.  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  give 
a  brief  enumeration  of  some  of  those  unfulfilled  Prophe- 
cies which  yet  await  their  accomplishment,  and  must 
take  place,  because  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken 
it.  The  following  are  the  most  prominent. 

1.  The  restoration  and  conversion  of  the  Jews   and 
their  reestablishment  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

2.  The  recovery  of  the  lost  ten  tribes,  and  their  re- 
union with  the  two  tribes  as  one  nation  in  the  land  of 
Israel. 


20  INTRODUCTOKY. 

3.  The  rise,  reign  and  overthrow  of  the  infidel  Anti- 
christ, the  last  head  of  the  Koman  empire. 

4.  The  ministry  and  martyrdom  of  the  two  witnesses, 
the  time,  the  place  and  the  end  of  their  testimony  for 
Christ. 

5.  The  overthrow  of  Komanism  and  Mohammedanism, 
the  two  great  enemies  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

6.  The  calamities  and  distresses  which  will  fall  upon 
the  nations  of  the  earth  at  the  close  of  this  dispensation. 

7.  The  battle  of  Armageddon,  where  fought,  and  its 
results  to  the  Jews  and  to  the  Gentiles. 

8.  The  binding  of  Satan  and  his  expulsion  from  the 
earth. 

9.  The  introduction  of  the  New  Dispensation. 

10.  The  first  resurrection  and  reign  of  the  saints  with 
Christ  for  a  thousand  years  upon  the  renewed  earth. 

11.  The  distinguishing  features  of  the  millennial  pe- 
riod, which  are,  first,  fertility  of  the  earth  ;  second,  lon- 
gevity of  its  inhabitants  ;  third,  peace  and  quietness  of 
all  nations  ;  fourth,  universal  prevalence  of  knowledge 
and  holiness,  and  lastly, 

12.  The   difference  between   the  millennial  dispensa- 
tion and  the  new  Jesusalem  state. 

Now  here  is  a  series  of  events  of  the  most  interesting 
kind,  all  foretold  in  Prophecy  (as  we  shall  endeavor  to 
show  when  we  treat  each  topic  in  its  order),  and  all 
awaiting  their  fulfillment.  Seek  ye  out  of  the  book  of 
the  Lord  and  read  :  no  one  of  these  shall  fail,  none  shall 
want  her  MATE.  If  we  can  show  you  predictions,  clear 
and  explicit,  on  all  these  topics  which  we  have  enumer- 
ated, rest  assured  their  fulfillment  will  not  fail  to  take 


INTRODUCTORY.  21 

place  at  the  time  appointed  of  God.  We  are  fully  con- 
vinced that  unfulfilled  Prophecy  is  a  profitable  study  to 
all  who  give  heed  to  it,  as  the  voice  of  God  declaring  the 
end  from  the  beginning ;  and  every  one  should  say  respect- 
ing it,  as  the  Psalmist  said,  "I  will  hear  what  God  the 
Lord  will  speak,  for  He  will  speak  peace  to  His  people, 
but  the  way  of  the  wicked  will  He  turn  upside  down." 
The  study  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy  calls  into  exercise  and 
strengthens  that  faith  which  is  the  evidence  of  things  not 
seen  ;  it  demands  our  implicit  confidence  in  the  veracity 
of  God,  it  tries  us  to  see  whether  we  can  take  Him  at  His 
word,  whether  a  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord"  has  more  power 
over  our  faith  than  the  sneers  of  infidelity  or  the  cavil- 
ings  of  human  reason.  Things  not  yet  seen,  it  brings 
near,  and  gives  them  a  reality,  so  that  we  are  "  persuaded 
of  them  ;"  it  enables  us  to  live  in  the  future  as  well  as  the 
past ;  and  is  a  beacon  light  to  guide  us  safely  through  the 
gloom  and  darkness  of  the  long  night  of  our  Saviour's 
absence  ;  or,  in  the  language  of  holy  Scripture,  "  a  light 
shining  in  a  dark  place,  to  which  we  do  well  to  take  heed, 
until  the  day  dawn,  and  the  DAY  STAR  arise  in  our  hearts." 
Such  being  its  uses,  we  trust  the  discussion  of  the  several 
subjects  we  have  enumerated  will  be  found  profitable, 
being  mixed  with  faith  in  them  that  hear. 

"We  enter  upon  this  series  of  subjects  with  no  desire 
or  design  to  establish  any  favorite  theory  of  our  own,  but 
simply  to  show  what  we  understand  to  be  the  plain  teach- 
ing of  the  holy  Scriptures  on  these  subjects,  and  we  shall 
ask  you  to  believe  only  what  is  there  plainly  and  clearly 
expressed.  And  if  it  should  appear,  on  a  full  investiga- 
tion of  the  subject,  that  the  future  is  big  with  events  of 


22  INTRODUCTORY. 

the  most  transcendent  importance  to  the  Church  and  to 
the  world,  the  knowledge  of  them  ought  to  be  regarded 
by  us  as  of  great  moment,  and  be  highly  prized,  that 
when  the  events  themselves  take  place,  we  may  not  be 
taken  by  surprise,  or  be  overwhelmed  with  dismay,  but 
may  calmly  view  the  things  which  the  mouth  of  the  Lord 
hath  spoken,  and  which  must  therefore  come  to  pass,  be- 
cause His  counsel  shall  stand,  and  He  will  do  all  His 
pleasure.  From  the  beginning,  God  has  not  intended  to 
keep  us  in  ignorance  of  future  things,  but  constantly 
foretold  what  He  would  do,  and  the  Church  has  had  un- 
fulfilled Prophecy  to  study  as  long  as  she  has  had  the 
inspired  volume.  In  fact,  the  oldest  prophecy  in  the 
world,  given  in  Paradise,  is  yet  an  unfulfilled  one,  and 
awaits  its  accomplishment  at  the  second  coming  of  Christ, 
when  He  will  bruise  the  serpent's  headj  by  casting  him 
in  the  bottomless  pit,  and  setting  a  seal  on  him,  that  he 
shall  deceive  the  nations  no  longer  ;  then  only  shall  the 
original  prediction  of  all,  the  first  on  the  catalogue,  receive 
its  complete  fulfillment.  We  might  also  show  the  im- 
portance of  the  study  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy,  from  the 
fact  that  we  can  not  know  certainly  that  a  Prophecy  has 
been  fulfilled,  unless  we  know  previously  what  the  pre- 
dicted events  were  in  which  it  was  to  receive  its  fulfill- 
ment. How,  for  example,  could  we  see,  in  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Jews  to  the  Holy  Land,  the  fulfillment  of 
God's  word,  unless  by  study  of  that  word  we  had  pre- 
viously learned  that  it  foretold  that  event  ?  Our  faith 
in  the  future  must,  therefore,  rest  upon  our  confidence 
in  what  the  Scriptures  teach  of  the  future,  and  our  con- 
fidence in  these  upon  our  knowledge  of  their  contents. 


INTKODUCTORY.  23 

Away,  then,  with  the  silly  pretense  of  some,  who  are  too 
indolent  to  apply  their  minds  to  the  investigation  of 
recondite  subjects,  viz.,  that  researches  of  this  kind  only 
tend  to  craze  the  brain,  and  cultivate  a  taste  for  specu- 
lative truth  rather  than  practical.  Did  not  Christ  and 
His  Apostles  constantly  appeal  to  Prophecy  in  their 
controversies  with  the  Jews  ?  Did  He  not  even  chide 
them  for  their  ignorance  on  the  subject,  saying,  "  Oh, 
fools  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe  ALL  that  the  prophets 
HAVE  spoken  ?  If  ye  believed  Moses,  ye  would  have  be- 
lieved me,  for  he  wrote  of  me  \" 

Among  the  last  words  of  Revelation  is  a  blessing  prom- 
ised on  the  study  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy,  "  Blessed  is  he 
that  keepeth  the  saying  of  the  Prophecy  of  this  book," 
and,  with  such  an  endorsement  of  this  duty,  we  may  well 
dismiss  the  cavilings  of  skeptics,  and  the  dissuasions  of 
the  timid,  the  doubtful,  and  the  indolent,  and  apply  our- 
selves to  the  task  of  learning  what  things  are  coming  on 
the  earth,  according  to  the  determinate  counsel  and  fore- 
knowledge of  Him  who  hath  declared  the  end  from  the 
beginning,  and  who  hath  said,  "  SEEK  ye  out  of  the  book 
of  the  Lord  and  read  :  no  one  of  these  shall  fail,  none 
shall  want  her  mate,  for  my  mouth  it  hath  commanded, 
and  my  Spirit  it  hath  gathered  them." 


LECTURE    II. 

EESTORATION    OF    THE    JEWS. 

"  The  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah  from  the  Lord,  saying,  Thus  speaketh 
the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  saying,  write  thee  all  the  words  that  I  have  spoken 
unto  thee  in  a  book.  For  lo,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will 
bring  again  the  captivity  of  my  people  Israel  and  Judah,  saith  the  Lord, 
and  I  will  cause  them  to  return  to  the  land  that  I  gave  to  their  fathers,  and 
they  shall  possess  it.  Therefore,  fearthou  not,  0  my  servant  Jacob,  saith  tho 
Lord,  neither  be  dismayed  0  Israel,  for  lo,  I  will  save  thee  from  far,  and 
thy  seed  from  the  land  of  their  captivity,  and  Jacob  shall  return  and  be  in 
rest  and  be  quiet,  and  none  shall  make  him  afraid,  for  I  am  with  thee, 
saith  the  Lord,  to  save  thee :  though  I  make  a  full  end  of  all  nations  whither 
I  have  scattered  thee,  yet  will  I  not  make  a  full  end  of  thee,  but  I  will  cor- 
rect thee  in  measure  and  will  not  leave  thee  altogether  unpunished." — JER- 
EMIAH, xxx.  1-4,  10,  11. 

THE  remarkable  history  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  has 
been  a  standing  theme  of  admiring  wonder  for  ages  past 
to  all  who  have  attended  to  History,  Prophecy  and  Divine 
Providence.  The  dealings  of  God  towards  them  have 
been  more  marked  than  towards  any  other  one  of  all  the 
families  of  the  earth.  He  has  been  nearer  to  them  than 
to  any  other  nation  on  the  earth,  had  more  frequent 
communications  with  them  than  with  any  other,  in 
fact,  made  them  the  organ  and  medium  of  His  commu- 
nication to  the  whole  world — His  scribes  to  write  His 
book.  It  can  not  be  denied  that  every  inspired  writer 
of  either  the  Old  Testament  or  New  Testament  was  an 
Israelite.  No  Gentile  has  ever  been  called  to  that  honor 


KESTORATION    OF    THE   JEWS.  25 

or  admitted  to  that  work.  The  glorious  company  of 
apostles  and  the  goodly  fellowship  of  prophets  were  all 
Jews.  The  Saviour  and  salvation  is  of  Jews.  The  strong- 
est man,  the  wisest  man,  the  meekest  man,  the  man 
after  God's  own  heart,  were  all  of  Abraham's  seed.  The 
most  illustrious  poet,  whose  inspired  strains  have  awak- 
ened the  joys  of  the  people  of  God  in  every  age,  was  an 
Hebrew.  The  most  ancient  historian,  whose  chronicles 
of  events  penetrate  three  thousand  years  further  back 
than  Cadmus  or  Herodotus  ever  presumed  to  go,  was  of 
this  time-honored  race  ;  and  "  time  would  fail  to  tell  of 
Gideon  and  of  Barak,  of  Samson,  of  Jepthas  and  of  the 
prophets,  who  through  faith  subdued  kingdoms,  wrought 
righteousness,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  quenched 
the  violence  of  fire,  turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  aliens, 
and  others  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy." 

Moses,  in  reminding  this  people  of  the  great  honor 
which  God  had  put  upon  them  above  every  other  nation, 
addresses  them  thus  :  "Ask  now  of  the  days  which  were 
past,  which  were  before  thee,  since  the  day  that  God  cre- 
ated man  on  earth,  and  ask  from  the  one  side  of  heaven 
unto  the  other,  whether  any  thing  hath  been  heard  like 
it  ?  Did  ever  people  hear  the  voice  of  God  speaking  out 
of  the  midst  of  fire  as  thou  hast  heard,  and  live?  or  hath 
God  assayed  to  go  and  take  him  a  nation  from  the  midst 
of  another  nation  by  temptations,  by  signs,  by  wonders, 
and  by  a  mighty  hand,  according  to  all  that  the  Lord 
your  God  did  for  you  in  Egypt  before  your  eyes  ?"  For 
what  nation  did  the  sea  ever  open  a  passage  that  they 
might  go  through  on  dry  ground  ?  or  did  the  heavens 
rain  down  bread  for  forty  years,  and  a  rock  gush  out  its 

2 


26  RESTORATION    OF   THE   JEWS. 

waters  to  give  them  food  and  drink?  or  the  walls  of 
cities  fall  down  flat  at  the  sound  of  rams'  horns  that  they 
might  enter  in  and  possess  them  ?  Such  marvelous  in- 
terpositions of  divine  power  the  history  of  no  other  nation 
can  record.  And,  as  the  hand  of  God  has  been  remark- 
able toward  them  in  the  distinguishing  favors  He  has 
conferred  on  them,  it  has  been  no  less  so  in  the  extraor- 
dinary and  humiliating  afflictions  He  has  made  them  to 
endure — calamities  so  severe  and  long-continued,  that 
almost  all  mankind  have  come  to  regard  them  as  doomed 
to  a  perpetual  curse  ;  fated  to  be  outcasts  and  wanderers 
always,  bearing  for  ever  the  reproach  of  the  Gentiles,,  and 
the  shame  of  their  exile  from  the  land  of  their  fathers 
not  knowing  that  a  future  still  awaits  them  far  more 
glorious  than  the  brightest  period  of  their  past  history; 
a  future  which  shall  cast  into  the  shade  the  highest 
glory  and  prosperity  of  any  nation  that  has  ever  existed; 
when  they  shall  be  the  most  honored  and  most  useful 
of  all  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  in  the  words 
of  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  the  whole  world  "  shall  acknowl- 
edge that  they  are  the  people  whom  the  Lord  hath 
blessed." 

There  is  one  thing  which  the  Lord  did  for  this  nation 
which  He  never  did  for  any  other.  He  gave  them  a  coun- 
try, a  land  for  an  everlasting  possession.  While  the 
earth  is  the  Lord's,  which  He  has  given  to  the  children  of 
men,  and  left  them  to  wander  abroad,  or  settle  upon  it 
wherever  they  choose,  He  has  selected  and  reserved  one 
portion  of  it  for  the  seed  of  Abraham,  which  is  theirs 
exclusively  by  His  will,  to  be  occupied  by  them  as  long 
as  they  kept  His  covenant,  but  when  they  broke  it,  to 


RESTORATION   OF   THE   JEWS.  27 

lose  possession,  but  not  the  title.  The  country  selected 
for  and  given  to  them  is  Palestine,  first  called  Canaan, 
because  the  descendants  of  Canaan,  the  son  of  Ham,  the 
son  of  Noah,  dwelt  therein. 

The  deed  of  this  property  to  Abraham  and  his  seed 
is  recorded  in  the  book  of  Genesis,  and  it  was  given 
about  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-three 
years  ago. 

In  Genesis  xii.,  1,  we  read,  "  The  Lord  appeared  to 
Abraham,  whom  He  had  called  to  lea'Te  his  country, 
(viz.,  Chaldea,)  to  go  to  a  land  which  He  would  give 
him,"  (viz.,  Canaan.) 

He  appeared  again  to  him,  verse  7,  after  his  arrival, 
and  said,  "  Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this  land." 

Again,  in  chapter  xiii.,  15,  He  said  to  him,  "  To  thee 
will  I  give  it  and  to  thy  seed  for  ever/' 

Again,  in  chapter  xv.,  18,  He  said,  "  Unto  thy  seed 
have  I  given  this  land,  from  the  river  of  Egypt  unto  the 
great  river  Euphrates." 

Again,  in  chapter  xvii.,  8,  He  said,  "I  will  give  unto 
thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee,  all  the  land  of  Canaan, 
for  an  everlasting  possession." 

In  chapter  xxvi.,  3,  4,  He  appeared  to  Isaac,  and  said, 
"  Unto  thee  and  unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  all  these  coun- 
tries, and  I  will  perform  the  oath  which  I  sware  unto 
Abraham  thy  father." 

In  chapter  xxviii.,  13,  the  Lord  appeared  to  Jacob, 
at  Bethel,  and  said,  "  The  land  whereon  thou  liest,  to 
thee  will  I  give  it  and  to  thy  seed." 

In  chapter  xxxv.,  12,  more  than  twenty  years  after, 
the  Lord  appeared  again  to  Jacob,  and  said,  "  The  land 


28  RESTORATION    OF    THE   JEWS. 

which  I  gave  to  Abraham  and  Isaac,  to  thee  will  I  give 
it  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee." 

All  these  several  conveyances  of  this  property,  to 
father,  son,  and  grandson,  or  rather  confirmation  of  title, 
shows  the  will  of  Grod  concerning  it,  to  whom  it  should 
belong  ;  and  if  a  grant  made  by  the  God  of  the  whole 
earth,  and  recorded  in  the  oldest  register  of  deeds  andfacts 
in  existence,  does  not  establish  a  claim  against  any  right 
of  conquest  or  adverse  possession,  then  must  the  will  of 
Grod,  indeed,  succumb  to  the  violence  of  man,  and  the 
oath  of  the  Creator  fail  before  the  purpose  of  the  crea- 
ture. Such  a  result  who  can  believe  to  be  possible  ? 
But  you  will  enquire  why,  if  the  land  of  Canaan  was 
given  to  Abraham  and  his  seed  for  an  everlasting  pos- 
session, have  they  occupied  it  for  so  small  a  portion 
of  the  time  since  it  was  first  given  to  them  ?  It  is 
a  remarkable  fact  that,  although  the  first  grant  made 
to  Abraham  was  made  about  three  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-three  years  ago,  yet  the  whole 
period  during  which  any  part  of  his  posterity  have 
possessed  the  land,  has  not  exceeded  one  thousand 
four  hundred  and  eighty-one  years.  The  seed  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac  and  Jacob  did  not  obtain  possession  of  it 
until  they  crossed  the  Jordan,  under  the  leadership  of 
Joshua,  which  was  four  hundred  and  sixty-seven  years 
after  its  first  grant  to  Abraham.  From  their  entrance 
into  it,  under  Joshua^  until  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem by  the  Komans,  was  one  thousand  five  hundred  and 
fifty-one  years,  from  which,  if  we  subtract  the  seventy 
years  of  captivity  in  Babylon,  there  will  remain- but  one 
thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty-one.  And  if  from 


KESTORATION   OF   THE   JEWS.  29 

this  number  we  deduct  again  the  captivity  of  the  ten 
tribes,  which  took  place  seven  hundred  and  twenty-one 
years  before  Christ,  the  result  will  be  that  the  whole  of 
the  tivelve  tribes  have  occupied  the  country  together  only 
seven  hundred  and  thirty  years,  out  of  the  whole  period 
of  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy-three, 
since  its  first  grant,  (i.  e.}  the  two  tribes  Judah  and 
Benjamin  occupied  it  one  thousand  four  hundred  and 
eighty-one,  and  the  ten  tribes  only  seven  hundred  and 
sixty  years,)  and  yet  all  this  time  the  land  has  been 
theirs,  and  theirs  only,  by  deed  of  gift  from  Him  whose  is 
the  earth,  and  the  fullness  thereof. 

If  we  undertake  to  account  for  this  seeming  inconsist- 
ency between  the  Divine  will  first  expressed  to  Abraham 
and  its  execution,  we  will  find  no  discrepancy  between 
them,  for  the  occupancy  of  the  land  was  always  on  con- 
dition of  their  obedience  to  the  commands  of  God.  This 
Moses  informed  them  in  the  wilderness,  before  they 
crossed  the  Jordan  and  took  possession  of  it.  In  Deuter- 
onomy, xxviii.,  he  says,  "  It  shall  come  to  pass,  if  thou 
shalt  hearken  diligently  unto  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy 
God,  that  the  Lord  thy  God  will  set  thee  on  high  above 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  they  shall  be  afraid  of 
thee.  And  He  shall  bless  thee  in  all  that  thou  set- 
test  thine  hand  unto,  and  shall  make  thee  plenteous  in 
goods,  in  the  fruit  of  thy  body,  and  of  thy  cattle,  and 
of  thy  ground,  in  the  land  ivhich  the  Lord  sware  unto 
thy  fathers,  to  give  it  unto  thee.  But  if  thou  wilt  not 
hearken  to  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  keep  His 
commandments,  etc.,  the  Lord  shall  send  thee  cursing, 
and  vexation,  and  rebuke,  in  all  thou  settest  thine  hand 


30  RESTORATION   OF   THE   JEWS. 

unto  ;  and  them  shalt  be  smitten  before  thine  enemies, 
and  shalt  be  removed  into  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth." 

Here  we  have  the  key  which  unlocks  the  apparent 
difficulty  between  the  promise  and  performance  of  God. 
He  has  been  faithful  to  His  part  of  the  covenant,  but 
they  have  not  kept  their  part,  and  this  has  been  the  cause 
of  their  expatriation,  and  of  all  their  accumulated  dis- 
asters. Now,  the  question  is,  how  long  will  this  state  of 
things  continue  ?  For  ever  ?  or  will  there  be  a  change,  a 
glorious  change,  a  wonderful  change,  such  as  shall  strike 
the  world  with  astonishment  and  awe,  when  they  see  a 
people,  denationalized  and  dispersed  for  so  many  cen- 
turies, gathered  together  again  and  constituted  an  inde- 
pendent nation  in  the  land  of  their  fathers,  more  pros- 
perous and  blessed  than  ever  before  ?  Hear  what  Moses 
declared  in  this  same  Prophecy  in  which  he  foretold  the 
consequences  of  their  obedience  or  disobedience.  Deu- 
teronomy, xxx.,  1-4 :  u  It  shall  come  to  pass,  when  all 
these  things  are  come  upon  thee,  the  blessing  and  the 
curse  which  I  have  set  before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  call 
them  to  mind  among  all  the  nations  whither  the  Lord 
thy  God  hath  driven  thee,  and  shalt  return  to  the  Lord 
thy  God  and  obey  His  voice,  that  then  the  Lord  thy  God 
will  turn  thy  captivity ,  and  gather  thee  from  all  nations 
whither  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  scattered  thee,  and  bring 
thee  into  the  land  which  thy  fathers  possessed,  and  thou 
shalt  possess  it,  and  He  will  do  thee  good,  and  multiply 
thee  above  thy  fathers ;"  and  hear  also  what  our  text 
declares.  (See  the  text.) 

These  two  passages  of  Scripture,  one  from  Moses,  and 
the  other  from  Jeremiah,  would  be  a  sufficient  founda- 


RESTORATION   OF   THE   JEWS.  31 

tion,  if  there  were  no  other,  for  the  doctrine  we  advocate, 
viz.,  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  to  their  own  land. 

It  is  impossible  for  us,  in  the  limits  of  one  short  dis- 
course, to  adduce  all  the  evidence  that  bears  on  this  point. 
There  are  eighteen  Prophecies  in  which  their  restora- 
tion is  explicitly  declared,  besides  a  number  of  others  in 
which  it  is  implied.  Comment  on  all  these  would  re- 
quire a  written  volume  ;  let  us  confine  ourselves,  then,  to 
the  text  alone,  "  Lo,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that 
I  will  bring  again  the  captivity  of  my  people  Israel  and 
Judah,  and  I  will  cause  them  to  return  to  the  land  that 
I  gave  to  their  fathers,  and  they  shall  possess  it."  Notice 
the  precision  of  this  Prophecy,  "  my  people  Israel  and 
Judah"  After  the  revolt  of  the  ten  tribes  from  Keho- 
boam,  the  son  of  Solomon,  they  set  up  a  separate  king- 
dom, which  was  thenceforward  called  the  kingdom  of 
Israel,  in  distinction  from  that  of  Judah.  This  kingdom 
lasted  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  years,  when  it  was  over- 
thrown by  Shalmanasser,  king  of  Assyria,  and  the  ten 
tribes  were  carried  away  captive.  Now  Jeremiah  uttered 
the  Prophecy  of  our  text  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years 
after  the  overthrow  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and  twenty- 
eight  years  before  the  captivity  of  Judah,  of  the  two  tribes 
in  Babylon,  which  captivity  lasted  seventy  years ;  and  yet 
he  speaks  of  a  restoration  of  both  to  the  land  of  their 
fathers.  We  have  a  very  full  and  circumstantial  detail 
of  the  restoration  of  Judah  after  seventy  years'  captivity 
in  Babylon,  in  the  books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  and  the 
circumstances  which  led  to  it,  in  the  Prophecy  of  Daniel, 
but  no  historian,  either  sacred  or  profane,  has  ever  yet 
given  an  account  of  the  restoration  of  the  ten  tribes,  and, 


32  KESTOEATION   OF   THE  JEWS. 

in  fact,  but  little  trace  has  been  kept  of  them  since  their 
captivity,  so  little,  that  for  many  centuries  they  have 
been  spoken  of  as  the  "  LOST  TEN  TRIBES."  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  the  Prophecy  of  our  text  is  still  an  unful- 
filled one,  because  it  speaks  of  a  restoration  in  which  they 
each  are  to  have  a  part.  After  the  seventy  years'  cap- 
tivity of  Babylon,  the  two  tribes  returned  again  to  Pal- 
estine, rebuilt  the  city  and  temple,  and  occupied  their 
land  more  than  five  hundred  and  fifty  years,  until  the 
Koman  conquest  and  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  when 
they  were  cast  out  and  scattered  all  over  the  earth,  and 
remain  so  until  this  day. 

The  difference  between  the  captivity  of  the  ten  tribes 
and  the  two  tribes  is  very  striking,  marked,  and  peculiar, 
as  the  sins  which  caused  their  expulsion  from  their  land 
are  very  different.  The  ten  tribes  were  expelled  for  their 
idolatry.  The  sacred  historian  informs  us,  2  Kings,  xvii. 
16-18,  that  they  made  molten  images,  and  worshiped 
all  the  host  of  heaven,  and  served  Baal,  therefore  the 
Lord  was  very  angry  with  Israel,  and  removed  them  out 
of  His  sight;  there  was  none  left  but  the  tribe  of  Judah 
only.  "  He  removed  them  out  of  His  sight"  so  that  they 
are  hid  from  mankind,  especially  from  the  Church  of 
God — in  other  words,  lost  to  the  knowledge  of  the  civil- 
ized world. 

The  fate  of  Judah  was  to  be  different,  viz.,  a  disper- 
sion and  scattering  abroad  in  the  sight  of  all  nations. 
They  were  not  to  be  hid,  but  to  be  seen  and  known 
everywhere.  No  opposition  or  persecution  was  threat- 
ened to  the  ten  tribes,  but  this  was  to  be  the  fate  of 
the  two  tribes  for  many  long  ages  :.  a  proverb,  a  by- 


RESTORATION   OF    THE   JEWS,  33 

word,  etc.,  no  rest  for  the  sole  of  their  feet,  etc.  This 
difference  in  their  punishment  is  attributed  to  the  dif- 
ference of  their  offenses.  The  ten  tribes  counterfeited 
Deity  by  their  idolatries  ;  the  two  tribes  murdered 
Him  by  crucifying  the  Lord  of  glory.  The  ten  tribes 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  Messiah  (except  the  wise  men 
from  the  East  were  a  delegation  from  their  nation 
to  learn  the  meaning  of  the  Star  which  had  appeared 
to  them).  The  two  tribes  heard  His  preaching,  saw 
His  miracles,  and  had  full  evidence  of  His  Divine 
character,  and  yet  put  Him  to  death  ;  and  for  this  they 
have  had  to  bear  reproach  and  contempt  and  exile  for 
nenrly  eighteen  centuries.  It  must  be  confessed  that  the 
crimes  of  both  Israel  and  Judah  were  exceedingly  ag- 
gravated, and  that  God  has  shown  them  no  favor,  though 
they  are  the  seed  of  His  ancient  friend.  He  has  been 
faithful  to  all  His  threatenings,  and  as  He  says  in  the 
text,  "  Though  I  make  a  full  end  of  all  nations  whither 
I  have  scattered  thee,  yet  will  I  not  make  a  full  end  of 
thee,  but  will  correct  thee  in  measure,  and  will  not  leave 
thee  unpunished." 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  almost  all  the  prophecies 
which  speak  of  the  restoration  of  the  children  of  Israel 
to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  speak  of  it  as  a  deliverance 
from  bondage,  oppression,  contempt,  and  exile,  and  as 
the  mercy  of  God,  displayed  toward  a  penitent  and 
obedient  people.  The  ten  tribes  will  renounce  their 
idolatry,  and  the  two  tribes  their  enmity  to  Christ ; 
and  both  will  submit  to  His  authority.  Certainly,  if 
those  prophecies  have  been  fulfilled  literally  in  the 
judgments  they  threatened,  they  will  be  literally  ful- 

2* 


34    .  RESTORATION   OF   THE   JEWS. 

filled  in  the  blessings  they  promise.  By  what  consistent 
rule  of  interpretation  can  we  explain  the  portion  already 
fulfilled  literally,  and  that  still  to  be  fulfilled,  in  a  figura- 
tive sense."  Take,  for  example,  that  Prophecy  of  Ezek- 
iel,  xxxvi.,  16-24,  in  which  he  says,  "  The  word  of  the 
Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  when  the 
house  of  Israel  dwelt  in  their  own  land,  they  defiled  it 
by  their  own  way  and  by  their  doings.  Wherefore,  I 
poured  out  my  fury  upon  them  for  the  blood  they  had 
shed,  and  on  the  idols  wherewith  they  polluted  it  ;  and 
I  scattered  them  among  the  people,  and  dispersed  them 
through  the  countries."  Certainly  all  this  has  been 
literally  accomplished.  Wherefore,  He  adds,  "  I  will 
take  you  from  among  the  Gentiles,  and  gather  y<>u  out 
of  all  countries,  and  bring  you  into  your  own  land ;" 
(surely  the  gathering  must  be  as  literal  as  the  scatter- 
ing,) "  and  ye  shall  dwell  in  the  land  which  I  gave  to 
your  fathers."  Surely,  this  is  no  other  than  the  land  of 
Canaan,  for  what  other  was  ever  given  to  their  fathers  ? 
So,  also,  in  that  Prophecy  of  Isaiah,  xi.,  11-13,  "  It  shall 
come  to  pass  that  the  Lord  shall  set  His  hand  again,  the 
second  time,"  (the  first  was  the  deliverance  from  Egypt,) 
"  to  recover  the  remnant  of  His  people  which  shall  be 
left,  from  Assyria,  and  from  Egypt,  and  from  Pathos, 
Cush,  Elam,  Shinar,  Harnath,  and  from  the  islands  of  the 
sea  ]  and  He  shall  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel "  (i.  e., 
the  lost  ten  tribes,)  "  and  gather  together  the  dispersed 
ofJudah,"  (?'.  e.}  the  two  tribes,)  "from  the  four  corners  of 
the  earth."  The  dispersion  here  spoken  of  never  took 
place  until  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  This 
Prophecy  has  no  intelligible  meaning  if  it  refers  not  to 


EESTORATION    OF    THE   JEWS.  35 

the  restoration  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  to  the  land  of 
Canaan — the  two  dispersed  and  the  ten  lost  tribes. — And 
so  of  all  the  rest.  The  same  rule  of  interpretation  which 
applies  to  the  part  of  a  Prophecy  that  is  past,  must  apply 
to  that  part  of  it  which  is  future. 

And  why  is  so  much  importance  attached  in  Scripture 
to  this  event  ?  Because  it  will  show  in  such  a  striking 
light  the  covenant  faithfulness  of  God,  and  the  certain 
reliance  that  may  be  placed  on  His  Word.  His  promises 
never  fail ;  though  long  delayed,  they  are  fulfilled  at  last. 
The  covenant  with  Abraham,  concerning  the  land  of 
Canaan  for  an  everlasting  possession  to  his  seed,  though 
long  seemingly  inoperative  and  dead,  has  still  a  vitality 
and  energy  which  will  surprise  the  world  when  it  begins  to 
work  and  produce  its  promised  effects.  The  land  and  the 
people  so  long  separated  will  be  again  reunited,  and  the 
greatest  wonder  in  the  history  of  nations  be  accomplished, 
viz.,  that  a  people  lo$t  for  more  than  two  thousand  five 
hundred  years  shall  be  found,  and  a  people  dispersed  and 
scattered  all  over  the  earth  for  nearly  two  thousand  years 
shall  be  gathered  and  reunited,  and  both  the  lost  and 
the  dispersed  be  constituted  one  happy  family,  in  a  land 
which  has  been  out  of  their  possession  for  so  many  centu- 
ries. The  Lord  of  Hosts  hath  sworn,  saying,  "  Surely  as 
I  have  thought,  so  shall  it  come  to  pass,  and  as  I  have 
purposed,  so  shall  it  stand." 

The  wonderful  preservation  of  the  Jewish  race  dur- 
ing so  many  ages  of  dispersion  and  oppression,  seems  to 
indicate  a  glorious  future  yet  in  reserve  for  them. 
Influences  which  would  have  annihilated  almost  any 
other  people,  have  failed  to  crush  them  or  extinguish 


36  RESTORATION   OF   THE  JEWS. 

their  hopes  of  national  resuscitation  and  restoration  to 
the  land  of  their  fathers.  How  many  nations  have  been 
overthrown  by  war  and  conquest,  and  have  disappeared 
from  among  the  families  of  the  earth,  while  they,  in  the 
lands  of  their  enemies,  have  outrode  the  storms  of  state 
and  the  political  revolutions  by  which  kingdoms  and 
empires  have  been  overthrown.  Where  are  the  proud 
Assyrians  and  Babylonians,  the  warlike  Carthaginians, 
the  learned  Egyptians,  the  Parthians,  Lydians,  Phene- 
cians,  Trojans,  ancient  Tyrians,  Lacedemonians,  Spar- 
tans, and  others  whose  antiquity  is  of  later  date  than  the 
Hebrews  ?  They  have  all  passed  away,  and  their  descend- 
ants can  not  be  identified.  But  the  seed  of  Abraham 
continue  the  acknowledged  and  undoubted  descendants 
of  those  who  occupied  the  Holy  Land  eighteen  hundred 
years  ago;  thus  verifying  the  text,  "  Though  I  make  a  full 
end  of  all  the  nations  whither  I  have  scattered  thee,  yet 
will  I  not  make  a  full  end  of  thee."  The  most  powerful 
nations  of  antiquity  have  disappeared  and  are  now  known 
only  in  history,  while  the  Jewish  nation  lives  in  the  persons 
of  its  scattered  children,  waiting  for  that  national  revivifi- 
cation which  He  has  promised  who  "  is  not  a  man  that  He 
should  lie,  nor  the  son  of  man  that  He  should  repent." 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  whenever  the  judgment 
of  God  has  been  on  the  Jewish  people  for  their  sins,  his 
curse  has  also  been,  on  their  land,  especially  the  curse  of 
barrenness  :  so  that  it  has  been  an  unproductive  country 
to  whomsoever  has  occupied  it.  Even  now,  under  the 
dominion  of  the  Grand  Turk,  its  agriculture  is  of  the 
lowest  degree.  But  when  His  blessing  returns  to  them, 
it  shall  also  return  to  the  land.  Wherefore  the  Prophet 


RESTORATION    OF   THE   JEWS.  37 

Ezekiel,  xxxvi.  28-36,  says,  speaking  of  their  restoration, 
"  Ye  shall  dwell  in  the  land  that  I  gave  t(^our  fathers, 
and  I  will  call  for  the  corn  and  increase  it,  and  lay  no 
famine  upon  you,  and  the  desolate  land  shall  be  tilled, 
whereas  it  lay  desolate  in  the  sight  of  all  the  heathen 
that  passed  by,  and  they  shall  say,  this  land  that  was 
desolate,  is  become  like  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  the  waste 
and  desolate  and  ruined  cities  are  become  fenced  and  in- 
habited." Surprising  change  !  which  will  not  be  owing  to 
natural  or  artificial  causes  only,  but  chiefly  to  providen- 
tial agencies  ;  for  the  prophet  declares  that  the  Gentiles, 
verse  36,  shall  acknowledge  it  to  be  the  work  of  the  Lord. 
The  great  favor  that  this  restored  people  shall  enjoy  in 
the  sight  of  all  nations,  is  in  several  places  foretold  by 
the  prophets.  The  Prophet  Zechariah,  viii.,  13,  says, 
and  "  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  as  ye  were  a  curse  among 
the  Gentiles,  0  house  of  Israel  and  Judah,  so  will  I  save 
you,  and  ye  shall  be  a  blessing  ;"  yea,  so  highly  shall 
they  be  in  favor  that  he  declares,  verse  23,  "  ten  men 
out  of  all  languages  of  nations  shall  take  hold  of  the 
skirts  of  a  Jew,  saying,  we  will  go  with  you  for  we  have 
heard  that  God  is  with  you;"  and  the  Prophet  Zephaniah, 
iii.,  20,  says,  "  The  Lord  will  make  them  a  name  and  a 
praise  among  all  the  people  of  the  earth,  when  He  turns 
back  their  captivity  before  their  eyes."  And  the  Prophet 
Isaiah  says,  chapter  lx.,  that  "  the  Gentiles  shall  come 
to  their  light,  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of  their  rising, 
and  the  sons  of  them  that  afflicted  thee  shall  come  bend- 
ing to  thee,  and  all  that  despised  thee  shall  bow  them- 
selves at  the  soles  of  thy  feet,  and  acknowledge  that 
they  are  the  people  that  the  Lord  hath  blessed." 


38  RESTORATION    OF    THE   JEWS. 

Their  restoration  shall  not  (as  some  suppose)  be  the 
result'  of  political  combinations,  or  arrangements  among 
the  great  powers  of  the  earth,  delivering  their  country 
first  from  foreign  dominion,  and  then  inviting  them  to 
re-occupy  it.  Something  of  this  kind  may,  and  probably 
will  be  attempted  and  partially  succeed  for  a  time,  but 
in  the  end,  will  fail,  when  God's  own  right  hand  and 
stretched  out  arm  will  accomplish  the  work  by  agencies 
such  as  men  at  present  little  dream  of.  So  that  the  de- 
liverance from  Egypt,  great  and  marvelous  as  it  was, 
shall  be  so  far  outdone  as  to  be  entirely  cast  into  the 
shade,  as  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  teaches,  xxiii.,  7,  8,  "  Be- 
hold the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  they  shall  no 
more  say,  the  Lord  liveth  which  brought  up  the  children 
of  Israel  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  but  the  Lord  liveth 
which  brought  up  and  which  led  the  seed  of  the  house 
of  Israel  from  the  north  country  and  from  all  the  coun- 
tries whither  I  had  driven  them  ;  and  they  shall  dwell 
in  their  own  land  ;"  i.  e.,  their  final  restoration  shall  be 
attended  with  so  many  more  signal  displays  of  divine 
power  than  their  first  deliverance  from  Egypt,  that  the 
latter  shall  no  longer  be  referred  to  as  a  proof  that  He 
is  their  God.  As  the  ten  tribes  have  been  so  long  hid 
from  the  knowledge  of  mankind,  their  return  shall  proba- 
bly occasion  more  astonishment  to  the  world  than  that 
of  the  two  tribes,  who  have  always  been  in  view  of  the 
world,  and  have  had  more  or  less  communication  with  the 
Holy  Land.  There  are  some  circumstances  in  which  the 
restoration  of  the  ten  tribes  will  differ  from  that  of  the 
two  tribes,  which  will  be  noticed  in  the  next  discourse. 

In  concluding  this  brief  review  of  some  of  those  Proph- 


RESTORATION"   OF   THE   JEWS.  39 

ecies  which  foretell  the  future  ingathering  of  the  seed 
of  Abraham  to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  w  have  com- 
mented on  those  which  refer  to  the  restoration  of  the 
whole  twelve  tribes.  There  are  other  Prophecies  which 
seem  to  refer  exclusively  to  the  return  of  the  ten  tribes, 
to  which  our  attention  is  next  due.  In  the  meantime, 
let  us.  on  a  review  of  the  whole  subject,  admire  that  un- 
changeable love  of  God  which  is  the  source  of  all  that 
wonder-working  power  which  shall  accomplish  their  res- 
toration, that  covenant  faithfulness  which  never  forgets 
to  fulfill  its  promises,  and  that  inflexible  justice  which 
does  not  shrink  from  inflicting  punishment  for  disobedi- 
ence, while  it  never  loses  sight  of  the  mercy  promised  in 
the  latter  end.  While  there  is  every  thing  in  Jewish 
history,  as  well  the  past  as  that  to  come,  to  make  us  fear 
the  judgments  of  God,  there  is  much  also  to  excite  us  to 
repent  for  sin,  and  hope  in  His  mercy.  If  the  crimes  of 
hundreds  of  years  may  be  forgiven,  and  the  penitents 
again  be  restored  to  favor,  and  reinstated  into  their  an- 
ycient  privileges,  why  may  not  our  iniquities  also  be  par- 
doned, and  the  eternal  life  we  have  lost  through  sin  be 
restored  ?  Christ  died  that  we  might  live,  He  came  into 
our  world  that  we  might  have  life,  and  have  it  more 
abundantly.  The  same  Prophecy  which  foretells  the 
restoration  of  the  Jews,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  shall 
be  effected,  declares,  also,  how  the  Gentiles  may  obtain 
deliverance  from  the  power  of  sin.  The  Prophet  Isaiah, 
chapter  xlix.  5,  speaking  of  the  work  of  the  Messiah, 
says,  **  It  is  a  light  thing  that  thou  shouldst  be  my  serv- 
ant to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob,  and  to  restore  the 
preserved  of  Israel.  I  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light  to 


40  RESTORATION   OF   THE  JEWS. 

the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  he  my  salvation  unto  the 
ends  of  the  ^rth."  Through  Him,  therefore,  all  we  who 
are  exiles  from  Eden,  and  wanderers  over  earth,  may  also 
regain  the  Paradise  we  lost,  the  heavenly  Canaan,  that 
everlasting  rest  which  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God  ; 
let  us,  therefore,  a  promise  being  left  us  of  entering  into 
rest,  take  heed  that  we  do  not  come  short  of  it.  Let  us 
remember  that  the  greatest  of  all  Prophecies,  and  that 
in  which  we  have  all  the  deepest  interest,  is  that  "testi- 
mony of  Jesus,  which  is  the  spirit  of  Prophecy,"  "  He 
that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life,  and  he 
that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  This  is  a  declaration  of 
the  great  Prophet  like  unto  Moses,  and  shall  be  just  as 
literally  fulfilled  as  that  spoken  by  Ezekiel  of  Babylon 
and  Tyre,  or  by  Daniel  of  the  four  great  monarchies, 
which  should  successively  rise,  reign,  and  fall,  or  of  all 
the  Prophets,  of  the  dispersion  and  restoration  of  the 
seed  of  Abraham. 

Let  it  be  our  unceasing  effort,  then,  through  faith  in. 
Christ,  and  obedience  to  His  word,  to  extract  from  this 
sure  word  of  Christ  all  the  sweet  it  contains,  and  avoid 
the  bitter,  that  when  it  is  fulfilled,  it  may  be  to  our  de- 
light and  everlasting  joy,  and  not  to  our  sorrow  and 
eternal  regret. 


LECTURE    III. 

THE    TEN    TRIBES. 

"  Is  Ephraim  my  dear  son  ?  is  he  a  pleasant  child  ?  for  since  I  spake 
against  him,  I  do  earnestly  remember  him  still  ;  therefore  my  bowels  are 
troubled  for  him;  I  will  surely  have  mercy  upon  him,  saith  the  Lord.  Set 
thee  up  way-marks,  make  thee  high  heaps  :  set  thy  heart  toward  the  high- 
way, even  the  way  which  thou  wentest  :  turn  again,  0  virerin  of  Israel, 
turn  again  to  these  thy  cities.  For  behold  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord, 
that  I  will  sow  the  house  of  Israel  and  the  house  of  Judah  with  the  seed 
of  man,  and  with  the  seed  of  beast.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  like  as 
I  have  watched  over  them,  to  pluck  up,  and  to  break  down,  and  to  throw 
down  and  to  destroy,  and  to  afflict  ;  so  will  I  watch  over  them,  to  build 
and  to  plant,  saith  the  Lord.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  which  giveth  the  sun 
for  a  light  by  day,  and  the  ordinances  of  the  moon  and  of  the  stars  for  a 
light  by  night,  which  divideth  the  sea  when  the  waves  thereof  roar  ;  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  is  His  name.  If  those  ordinances  depart  from  before  me, 
saith  the  Lord,  then  the  seed  of  Israel  also  shall  cease  from  being  a  nation 
before  me  for  ever."  —  JEEEMIAH,  yvxi.  20,  21,  27,  28,  35,  36. 


HISTORIANS,  who  have  delighted  to  trace  the  rise  and 
fall  of  nations,  and  the  migrations  of  nomadic  races, 
seem,  by  some  strange  oversight,  to  have  forgotten 
to  trace  the  steps  of  a  people  who  once  had  a  name 
among  the  families  of  the  earth,  and  who  clung  to  their 
nationality  with  an  undying  grasp.  The  kingdom  of 
Israel,  formed  out  of  ten  of  the  twelve  tribes,  which 
composed  the  entire  Jewish  nation,  commenced  its 
separate  existence  immediately  after  the  reign  of  Solo- 
mon, A.  M.  3029,  A.  C.  971,  and  lasted  two  hundred 


42  THE   RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES. 

and  fifty-four  years,  when  it  was  overthrown  by  the 
Assyrians.  The  causes  of  its  gradual  decay  are  given 
by  the  sacred  historians.  They  forsook  the  worship 
of  God  and  turned  unto  idols.  They  bowed  down  to 
graven  images,  and  burned  incense  to  them.  Where- 
fore, he  was  wroth  with  them,  and  delivered  them  into 
the  hands  of  their  enemies,  who  invaded  their  coun- 
try, captured  their  chief  cities,  demolished  their  strong- 
holds, and  carried  them  away  captive  into  a  distant 
land,  far  from  the  home  of  their  fathers,  which,  for 
more  than  two  thousand  five  hundred  years,  they  have 
never  since  revisited  nor  repossessed.  Where  the  place 
of  their  sojourn  has  been  from  that  time  to  the  present, 
has  been  a  question  which  has  greatly  perplexed  his- 
torians,, and  all  their  researches  and  investigations  seem 
to  have  never  yet  been  able  to  clear  up  the  mystery 
which  hangs  over  their  fate,  or  definitely  settle  the 
question,  what  region  of  the  globe  they  occupy.  What 
the  most  learned  for  ages  past  have  failed  to  accom- 
plish, it  can  not  be  expected  that  we  could  achieve. 
In  fact,  we  feel  that  there  is  an  impenetrable  purpose 
of  God  in  this  matter,  which  no  human  agency  can 
unfold  before  the  time  alloted  for  its  disclosure' — a 
secret  with  regard  to  this  people  which  God  will  see 
is  kept  until  He  Himself  will  reveal  it  by  bringing 
them  from  their  long  hiding  place,  and  showing  them 
to  the  world  as  the  seed  of  His  ancient  friend,  the 
father  of  the  faithful,  hid  in  the  day  of  His  anger,  but 
revealed  in  the  day  of  His  love.  The  most  we  can 
promise,  therefore,  upon  the  subject  of  the  whereabouts 
of  this  missing  people  is  to  give,  first,  the  account  which 


THE   RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES.  43 

the  sacred  writers  give  of  their  conquest  and  captivity, 
and  the  countries  into  which  their  conquerors  led  them, 
next  the  notice  which  one  of  the  Apocryphal  writers  takes 
of  them,  then  the  supposed  reference  of  the  Evangelist 
Matthew  to  them,  afterwards  the  testimony  of  Josephus 
the  Jewish  historian,  who  wrote  in  the  first  century  of 
the  Christian  era,  then  of  Jerome,  who  flourished  in  the 
fifth  century,  and  next  of  a  learned  Jew  of  the  middle  ages, 
and,  finally,  the  speculations  of  modern  writers,  of  whom 
there  have  heen  not  a  few,  some  of  whom  have  supposed 
that  they  have  discovered  and  identified  them,  and 
removed  the  vail  which  has  so  long  hidden  them  from 
the  knowledge  of  the  nations  of  the  world.  In  chapter 
xvii.  of  2  Kings  we  read,  "  In  the  ninth  year  of  Hoshea, 
king  of  Israel,  came  Shalmanasser,  king  of  Assyria,  and 
took  Samaria,  and  carried  Israel  away  into  Assyria,  and 
placed  them  in  Halah  and  in  Habor,  by  the  river  of 
Gozan,  and  in  the  cities  of  the  Medes  ;  for  it  was  so  that 
the  children  of  Israel  had  sinned  against  the  Lord,  and 
set  up  images  and  groves  in  every  high  hill,  and  under 
every  green  tree,  and  burnt  incense  unto  them  ;  there- 
fore the  Lord  was  very  angry  with  Israel  and  removed 
them  out  of  His  sight :  there  was  none  left  but  the  tribe 
of  Judah  only."  Halah  and  Habor,  and  the  river  Gozan, 
are  names  no  longer  with  certainty  known  to  geog- 
raphers ;  they  have  become  extinct,  and  the  places  they 
designated,  having  fallen  under  the  dominion  of  new 
masters,  are  otherwise  called.  This  was  common  among 
the  conquerors  of  the  East,  as  we  see  in  the  history  of 
the  Turkish  empire.  But  the  expression,  "cities  of  the 
Medes,"  is  sufficiently  definite  to  determine  the  general 


44      THE  KESTOKATION  OF  THE  TEN  TRIBES. 

course  of  their  route  from  the  land  of  Israel  to  the  place 
of  their  captivity.  The  ancient  Media  lay  north  of 
Persia,  and  its  territory  surrounded  the  Caspian  Sea.  It 
became  united  with  Persia  under  Cyrus,  who  finally 
overthrew  the  very  power  which  had  led  away  captive 
these  conquered  Israelites.  But  the  captive  tribes  seem 
not  to  have  remained  very  long  in  their  new  homes ;  for 
in  2  Esdras,  chapter  xiii.,  which  was  written  nearly  three 
hundred  years  after  they  were  carried  away,  the  author 
informs  us  that  the  ten  tribes  took  counsel  among  them- 
selves that  they  would  leave  the  multitude  of  the  hea- 
then and  go  into  a  further  country,  where  never  mankind 
dwelt,  that  they  might  there  keep  their  statutes,  which 
they  never  kept  in  their  own  land  ;  and  they  entered 
into  the  Euphrates  by  the  narrow  passes  of  the  river ; 
for  the  Most  High  then  showed  signs  fur  then),  and  held 
still  the  flood  till  they  were  passed  over;  for  through 
that  country  there  was  a  great  way  to  go,  viz.,  of  a  year 
and  a  half;  and  the  same  region  is  called  Arsareth  or 
Ararat.  Then  dwelt  they  there  until  the  latter  time ; 
and  now,  when  they  shall  begin  to  return,  the  Highest 
shall  stay  the  springs  of  the  stream  that  they  may  go 
through. 

If  we  now  take  an  easterly  direction  from  the  upper 
branches  of  the  Euphrates,  an«d  go  at  the  rate  at  which 
we  might  suppose  an  entire  nation  could  travel,  we  would 
probably  be  brought,  at  the  end  of  a  year  and  a  half, 
about  three  thousand  miles  into  the  interior  of  that  vast 
region  known  as  central  Asia,  and  lying  between  Inde- 
pendent Tartary,  Thibet,  the  Chinese  empire  and  Siberia, 
a  region  of  country  but  little  known  to  civilization,  and 


THE   RESTORATION   OF   THE    TEN   TRIBES.  45 

whose  inhabitants  have  been,  from  their  peculiar  habits 
and  laws,  for  ages  past  shut  out  from  intercourse  with 
the  European  races.  At  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Christ, 
which  was  five  or  six  centuries  later  than  this  last  migra- 
tion of  the  captive  tribes,  we  are  informed  by  the  Evan- 
gelist Matthew  that  there  came  to  Jersualern  wise  men 
from  the  East,  saying,  "  Where  is  He  that  is  born  king 
of  the  Jews,  for  we  have  seen  His  star  in  the  East,  and 
are  come  to  worship  Him  ?"  The  learned  have  never 
been  able  to  agree  who«e  these  Eastern  Magi  were. 
Many  conjectures  have  been  put  forth  which  we  shall 
not  take  your  time  to  mention,  but  only  observe  that 
among  them  all  there  is  none  that  has  a  greater  appear- 
ance of  probability  to  our  minds  than  this,  that  they 
were  a  delegation  from  the  ten  tribes,  to  whom  God  had, 
by  the  extraordinary  appearance  of  a  star,  given  knowl- 
edge of  the  incarnation  of  His  Son.  The  ten  tribes  un- 
doubtedly carried  with  them  a  knowledge  of  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah.  They  knew  of  the  Prophecy  of  Baalam, 
"  A  star  shall  arise  out  of  Jacob,  and  a  scepter  shall  rise 
out  of  Israel  which  shall  smite  the  corners  of  Moab  and 
destroy  all  the  children  of  Sheth."  This  Prophecy  gave 
rise  to  the  opinion  that  the  appearance  of  the  Messiah 
should  be  heralded  by  a  star.  Besides,  to  no  people  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  next  to  the  Jews,  was  the  advent 
of  the  Messiah  a  subject  of  so  deep  an  interest  as  it  was 
to  the  ten  tribes,  who,  in  common  with  the  Jews,  ex- 
pected from  him  national  glory  and  temporal  prosperity. 
How  natural,  then,  that  at  the  miraculous  appearance 
of  a  star  announcing  His  birth,  they  should  send  a  com- 
mittee to  Jerusalem  to  acknowledge  the  homage  of  their 


46  THE   RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES. 

nation  to  Him,' give  Him  this  title,  "King  of  the  Jews," 
their  brethren  from  whom  they  had  separated,  and  pay 
Him  tribute  in  gifts  of  gold,  frankincense  and  myrrh. 
We  advance  this  only  as  an  opinion  plausible,  probable, 
but  not  certain,  because  the  sacred  writer  has  not  seen 
fit  to  declare  from  what  nation  those  wise  men  from  the 
East  came. 

The  only  distinguished  writers  of  note  since  the  Chris- 
tian era  who  have  referred  to  the  ten  tribes,  are  Jose- 
phus  and  Jerome,  who  both  refer  to  them  merely  as  still 
residing  in  the  places  of  their  exile.  Josephus,  who 
wrote  in  the  reign  of  Vespasian,  recites  a  speech  made  by 
King  Agrippa  to  the  Jews,  wherein  he  exhorts  them  to 
submit  to  the  Eomans,  in  these  words  :  "  What,  do  you 
stretch  your  hopes  beyond  the  river  Euphrates  ?  Do 
any  of  you  think  your  fellow  tribes  will  come  to  your  aid 
out  of  Adiabene  ?  Besides,  if  they  would  come,  the  Par- 
thian would  not  permit."  We  learn  from  this  oration 
delivered  to  the  Jews,  and  by  a  king  of  the  Jews,  that 
the  ten  tribes  were  then  captive  in  Media  under  the  Per- 
sian princes. 

In  the  fifth  century  of  the  Christian  era,  Jerome, 
author  of  the  Vulgate,  treating  of  the  dispersed  Jews  in 
his  notes  on  Hosea,  has  these  words,  vol.  vi.,  page  7: 
"  Unto  this  day  the  ten  tribes  are  subject  to  the  kings 
of  the  Persians,  nor  has  their  captivity  ever  been  loosed. 

And  again,  he  says,  "  The  ten  tribes  inhabit  at  this  day 
the  cities  and  mountains  of  the  Medes."  Ch.  xiii. 

In  the  twelfth  century,  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  a  learned 
Jew,  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Navarre,  traveled  exten- 
sively throughout  Europe  and  Asia,  visiting  his  brethren 


THE    RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES.  47 

in  all  lands.  He  informed  us  that  the  cities  of  Ni- 
sapur  are  inhabited  by  four  tribes  of  Israel,  viz.,  Dan, 
Zebulon,  Naphtali,  being  part  of  the  first  exiles  who 
were  carried  into  captivity  by  Shalmanasser,  king  of  As- 
syria, as  reported  in  Scripture.  He  banished  them  to 
Lablach,  Chabor,  the  mountains  of  Gozan,  and  the  moun- 
tains of  Media.  He  mentions  also  a  place,  Thanaejm,  a 
a  very  strong  city,  being  fifteen  miles  square  in  extent, 
and  large  enough  to  allow  agriculture  to  be  carried  on 
within  its  boundaries.  The  province  of  which  Tbanaejm 
is  the  metropolis,  contains  forty  cities  and  two  hundred 
villages,  and  one  hundred  small  towns,  and  is  inhabited 
by  three  hundred  thousand  Jews.  Telmas,  also  a  city  of 
considerable  magnitude,containing  one  hundred  thousand 
Jews,  is  strongly  fortified  and  situated  between  two  very 
high  mountains,  and  he  adds,  it  is  reported  that  these 
Jews  are  of  the  tribes  of  Reuben,  Gad,  and  the  half  tribe 
of  Manasses,  who  were  led  captive  by  Shalmanasser,  king 
of  Assyria,  and  who  repaired  into  these  mountainous  re- 
gions where  they  erected  the  above  mentioned  large  and 
strong  cities.  They  are  not  easily  to  be  reached  because 
of  their  situation,  which  requires  a  march  of  eighteen 
days  through  uninhabited  deserts,  and  this  renders  them 
difficult  of  access.  This  same  writer  mentions  also  in 
addition  to  those  which  we  have  enumerated,  a  great 
number  of  places  in  this  same  region  of  Asia  inhabited 
by  descendants  of  the  ten  tribes,  whose  Jewish  traditions 
and  ceremonies  confirmed  him  in  the  belief  that  they 
were  his  brethren  of  the  house  of  Israel.* 

*  For  further  information  on  this  point  we  refer  the  reader  to  the  rare 
but  invaluable  work  of  this  author  in  the  Astor  Library. 


48  THE   KESTORATION    OF    THE   TEN   TRIBES. 

These  gleanings  of  evidence  contain  all  the  light 
which  early  writers  since  the  Christian  era  have  thrown 
upon  the  place  of  their  abode. 

We  can  only  next  present  you  with  the  different  theo- 
ries which  have  been  put  forth  from  time  to  time  to  solve 
the  mystery  of  their  existence  and  residence;  some  quite 
plausible,  others  exceedingly  absurd. 

The  first  we  notice  is,  that  the  present  European  races 
are  the  ten  tribes.  The  old  Koman  empire,  overrun  by 
northern  barbarians,  was  divided  into  ten  kingdoms 
which  ultimately  became  Christian,  and  some  have  sup- 
posed that  these  northern  invaders  were  portions  of  the 
ten  tribes,  and  in  their  conversion  to  Christianity,  was 
fulfilled  spiritually  all  the  promises  of  restoration  and 
conversion  made  to  the  ten  tribes,  and  which  are  not  to 
be  understood  literally  but  only  figuratively,  an  absurd- 
ity too  great , seriously  to  undertake  to  refute.  If  such 
were  the  case,  how  have  they  been  hid  for  so  many  ages  ? 
The  European  nations  are  like  a  city  set  on  a  hill ;  they 
have  been  more  prominent  in  the  view  of  the  whole  world 
than  all  other  nations.  Verily  they  would  be  any  thing 
else  but  the  lost  ten  tribes. 

Others  have  supposed  that  the  Affghans  are  the  de- 
scendants of  the  lost  tribes,  on  account  of  some  similarity 
between  their  manners  and  customs,  but  this  may  easily 
arise  from  association  as, well  as  from  descent.  One  of  the 
missionaries  at  the  East,  by  the  name  of  Grant,  a  few 
years  since,  published  a  work,  in  which  he  endeavored  to 
show  that  the  Nestorian  Christians  were  the  lost  tribes ; 
it  failed,  however,  to  produce  conviction  in  the  minds  of 
its  readers.  A  distinguished  citizen  of  this  country,  Elias 


THE    RESTORATION  OF    THE   TEN   TRIBES.  49 

Boudinot,  about  forty  years  ago,  published  a  work,  enti- 
tled "  Star  in  the  West/'  in  which  he  attempted  to  show 
that  the  American  Indians  were  a  portion  of  the  lost 
tribes,  from  resemblances  between  tHeir  religious  customs 
and  those  of  the  Israelites;  and  a  Congregational  minister 
of  Vermont,  by  the  name  of  Smith,  published,  not  long 
afterward,  a  work,  entitled  "  View  of  the  Hebrews,"  in 
which  he  advocated  the  same  theor}^.  Later  than  this,  a 
converted  Jew,  by  the  name  of  Simon,  undertook  to  iden- 
tify the  ancient  South  American  races,  Mexicans,  Peru- 
vians, and  others,  as  descendants  of  ancient  Israel,  from 
similarity  of  language,  and  civil  and  religious  customs. 
All  these  authors  have  taken,  as  their  starting  point,  the 
resolution  which,  Esdras  informs  us,  the  ten  tribes  took 
after  being  first  placed  in  the  cities  of  the  Medes,  viz.,  that 
they  would  leave  the  multitude  of  heathen  and  go  into  a 
land  wherein  never  mankind  dwelt,  that  they  might  there 
keep  their  laws,  which  God  gave  them,  and  that,  in  pur- 
suance of  this  resolution,  they  continued  in  a  north-east- 
erly direction,  until  they  came  to  the  Behring  Straits, 
which  they  crossed,  and  set  foot  on  this  continent,  spread- 
ing over  it  from  north  to  south,  until,  at  the  discovery 
of  it  by  Columbus,  they  had  peopled  it  in  every  part. 

It  must  be  admitted,  in  justice  to  the  learning  and 
labors  of  these  last  mentioned  authors,  that  they  have 
made  out  an  exceedingly  plausible  case,  and  have,  at 
least,  shown  that  if  the  aborigines  of  this  country  are 
not  descendants  of  the  ten  tribes,  they  have  had  some 
knowledge  of  the  religious  customs  of  the  ancient  Israel- 
ites before  their  migration  to  this  continent,  which  is  very 
probably  the  case,  and  will  account  for  their  belief  in  a 

3 


50  THE   RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES. 

great  Spirit,  whom  they  called  Y-o-he-wah,  the  Jehovah 
of  Scriptures,  and  the  use  of  the  word  Alleluia  in  their 
religious  songs,  which  is  a  peculiarly  Jewish  word,  besides 
many  festivals  corresponding  to  those  of  the  Mosaic  law. 
Ethnologists,  however,  who  have  paid  most  attention  to 
the  characteristics  of  the  different  races  of  mankind, 
maintain  that  the  aborigines  of  this  land  are  of  Tartar 
descent,  that  they  bear  a  closer  resemblance  to  that  peo- 
ple than  to  any  other.  Now,  the  region  of  country  to 
which  the  ten  tribes,  in  their  journey  of  a.  year  and  a  half, 
from  the  Euphrates  eastward,  would  arrive,  would  be 
somewhere  adjoining  Tartary,  and  intercourse  between 
the  two  races  would  easily  lead  to  the  adoption  of  the 
religious  ideas  and  customs  of  the  one  by  the  other.  Be- 
sides, the  Tartars  boast  of  their  descent  from  the  Israel- 
ites, and  the  famous  Tamerlane  took  pride  in  declaring 
that  he  was  descended  from  the  tribe  of  Dan,  so  that,  by 
intermarriage,  some  of  the  Tartar  tribes  may  have  had 
the  blood  of  Israel  running  in  their  veins,  and  have  be- 
come, in  some  degree,  proselytes  to  their  faith,  and  this 
will  readily  explain  the  Tartar  habits  of  the  American 
Indians,  together  with  their  Jewish  religious  customs, 
without  supposing  them  to  be  the  lost  tribes  themselves. 
In  1822,  a  Mr.  Sargon  communicated  to  London  some 
interesting  accounts  of  a  number  of  persons  resident  at 
Bombay  and  Cannanore  in  southern  India,  and  their 
vicinity,  who  were  evidently  descendants  of  Jews,  calling 
themselves  Beni  Israel,  and  bearing  almost  uniformly 
Jewish  names  with  Persian  terminations.  This  gentle- 
man feeling  very  desirous  of  obtaining  all  possible  infor- 
mation, undertook  a  mission  to  Cannanore  for  this  pur- 


THE    RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES.  51 

pose,  and  the  result  of  his  inquiries  was  a  conviction  that 
they  were  not  Jews  of  the  two  tribes,  being  of  a  different 
race  to  the  white  and  black  Jews  at  Conchin,  and  conse- 
quently that  they  were  a  remnant  of  the  long  lost  ten 
tribes.  This  gentleman  also  concluded,  from  the  infor-' 
mation  he  obtained  from  the  Beni  Israel,  that  they  ex- 
isted in  great  numbers  in  the  countries  between  Conchin 
and  Bombay,  the  north  of  Persia,  and  among  the  hordes 
of  Tartary.  He  gave  the  following  account  of  their  cus- 
toms and  manners.  1.  In  dress  they  conform  to  the 
customs  of  the  natives,  though  differing  in  almost  every 
other  respect.  2.  They  had  Hebrew  names  with*  the 
same  termination  with  the  Sepoys  in  the  9th  regiment 
of  Bombay  native  infantry.  3.  Same  of  them  read  He- 
brew, and  they  had  a  faint  tradition  of  their  exodus  from 
Egypt.  4.  Their  common  language  was  Hindoo;  they 
keep  idols  and  worship  them,  and  use  idolatrous  ceremo- 
nies mixed  with  Hebrew.  5.  They  circumcise  their  own 
children.  6.  They  observe  the  great  day  of  atonement 
of  the  Hebrews,  but  not  the  sabbath  or  any  feast  or  fast 
days.  7.  They  call  themselves  Gorah  Jehudi,  or  white 
Jews,  and  call  the  black  Jews,  of  whom  some  are  to  be 
found  in  China,  Collah  Jehudi.  8.  They  speak  of  the 
Arabian  Jews  as  their  brethren,  but  do  not  acknowledge 
the  European  Jews  as  such,  because  they  are  of  a  fairer 
complexion.  9.  They  use  on  all  occasions  the  Jewish 
prayer,  Hear,  0  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord,  etc. 
10.  They  have  no  priest,  under  that  name,  but  a  reader 
who  performs  prayers  and  conducts  their  religious  con- 
cerns. Lastly,  they  expect  the  Messiah,  and  that  they 
will  one  day  return  to  Jerusalem.  They  think  the  time 


52  THE    RESTORATION    OF    THE   TEN    TRIBES. 

of  His  appearance  will  soon  arrive,  at  which  they  much 
rejoice,  believing,  that  at  Jerusalem  they  will  see  their 
God,  worship  Him  only,  and  t>3  despised  no  more.  The 
following  article  appeared  a  few  years  ago  in  a  German 
paper,  under  the  head  of  Leipsic  :  "After  having  seen 
for  some  years  past,  merchants  from  Tifles,  Persia  and 
Armenia,  among  the  visitors  at  our  fair,  we  have  had  for 
the  first  time  two  traders  from  Bucharia,  with  sliaivls 
which  are  there  manufactured  of  the  finest  wool  of  the 
goats  of  Thibet  and  Cashmere,  by  Jewish  families  who 
form  a  third  part  of  the  population."  These  two  last 
statements  go  far  toward  establishing  the  fact  that  there 
still  exists  in  that  remote  region  called  "  Central  Asia," 
a  large  population  which  are  of  Israelitish  descent,  but 
are  so  excluded  from  intercourse  with  the  civilized  na- 
tions of  Europe  that  they  are  unknown  to  them.  The 
country  lying  between  Tartary,  Thibet,  China  and  Sihe- 
ria,  called  the  great  central  plain  of  Asia,  contains  a  sur- 
face of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  square  miles. 
This  vast  region  is  very  little  known.  By  reference  to 
the  map  you  will  perceive  that  the  boundaries  of  the  na- 
tions who  inhabit  it  are  not  marked,  nor  their  towns  lo- 
cated, nor  their  rivers  traced.  In  fact  geographers  have 
always  abandoned  it  as  a  terra  incognita.  The  watch- 
ful jealousy  of  the  Chinese  empire  on  the  east,  has  pre- 
cluded all  access  from  that  direction  ;  the  vast  chain  of 
rugged  and  mountainous  districts  between  it  and  Tartary 
have  made  it  inaccessible  from  the  west.  The  frozen 
regions  of  Siberia  on  the  north  have  made  an  impassable 
barrier  from  that  direction,  and  the  great  desert  of  Cobi 
between  it  and  Thibet  has  shut  it  out  from  the  south. 


THE    RESTORATION   OF    THE    TEN    TRIBES.  53 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  so  large  a  region  of 
earth  hemmed  in  by  desert,  mountain,  frost,  and  an  ex- 
clusive policy,  should  contain  millions  of  the  human  race 
of  which  little  or  nothing  is  known.  Here  then,  in  fine, 
we  consider  it  not  improbable  that  the  great  body  of  the 
lost  ten  tribes  may  be  hid,  and  we  have  come  to  this 
conclusion  for  the  following  reasons  : 

1.  It  is  the  region  to  which  their  journey  of  a  year  and 
a  half  from  the  cities  of  the  Medes,  to  find  an  uninhabit- 
ed land,  as  Esdras  declares,  would  naturally  bring  them. 

2.  It  is  just  such  a  portion  of  the  earth  as  would  be 
suitable  to  conceal  a  people  who  were  designed  by  Prov- 
idence to  be  cast  out  and  hid  from  the  knowledge  of 
mankind  for  many  centuries,  being  surrounded  with  so 
many  almost  impassable  barriers. 

3.  Almost  every  other  portion  of  the  earth,  except  the 
interior  of  Africa,  China  and  Japan,  has  been  explored, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  them  known  to  belong  to  races 
not  Jewish.     So  that  this  vast  central  region  of  Asia 
seems  to  be  the  only  hiding  place  left  for  them,  and 

4.  The  declaration  that  when  restored  they  shall  come 
back  to  Jerusalem  by  the  same  route  they  left,  points 
out  this  as  their  probable  hiding  place.     The  Prophet 
Esdras  says,  (2  Esdras  xiii.)  speaking  of  their  settling  in 
the  land  to  which  they  went,  "  there  they  dwelt  until  the 
latter  time,  and  now  when  they  shall  begin  to  come,  the 
Highest  shall  stay  the  springs  of  the  stream  again  (i.  e., 
Euphrates,)  that  they  may  go  through  ;"  and  in  the  book 
of  Kevelations  St.  John  declares  that  the   sixth   angel 
poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  great  river  Euphrates  and  the 
water  thereof  was  dried  up  that  the  way  of  the  kings  of 


54  THE   RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES, 

the  East  might  be  prepared,  "Kings  of  the  East"  being 
a  common  appellation  for  chiefs  of  tribes.  This  pour- 
ing out  of  the  vial  seems  to  refer  to  the  declaration  of 
Esdras  that  the  Highest  should  stay  the  springs  of  the  flood 
again  at  the  time  of  their  return  that  they  might  pass 
over,  as  He  did  at  their  departure  ;  and  to  what  but  this 
does  our  text  refer  when  it  foretells  their  return,  andsays? 
"Is  Ephr;dm  my  dear  son  ?"  (the  whole  ten  tribes  were 
frequently  called  by  the  name  of  Ephrairn  which  was  the 
leading  tribe  among  them  ;)  "  is  he  a  pleasant  child  ?  for 
since  I  spoke  against  him  so  earnestly  I  remember  him 
still,  therefore  my  bowels  are  troubled  for  him :  I  will 
surely  have  mercy  on  him,  saith  the  Lord."  "  Set  thee 
up  way-marks,' make  thee  high  heaps,  set  thy  heart 
toward  the  highway,  even  the  ivay  which  tliou  wentest. 
Turn  again,  0  virgin  of  Israel,  turn  again  to  these  thy 
cities."  As  persons  about  to  explore  a  great  wilderness, 
that  they  might  not  be  lost  in  it,  and  not  know  how  to 
find  their  way  out,  would  set  up  way-marks,  bark  trees, 
throw  up  mounds  or  heaps  as  guides  for  their  return,  so 
the  Prophet  seems  to  intimate  that  the  route  of  their 
return  shall  be  the  same  as  that  of  their  departure. 
"  Set  thy  heart  toward  the  highway,  even  the  way  which 
thou  wenlest.  Turn  again,  0  virgin  of  Israel,  to  these  thy 
cities  ;"  and  then  to  show  the  certainty  of  such  an  event 
he  adds,  "  Behold  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I 
will  sow  the  house  of  Israel  with  the  seed  of  man  and  with 
the  seed  of  beast,  and  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  as  I  have 
watched  over  them  to  pluck  up  and  to  break  down  and 
to  destroy  and  to  afflict,  so  will  I  watch  over  them  to 
build  and  to  plant,  saith  the  Lord."  As  we  remarked  in 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  TEN  TRIBES.      55 

the  previous  discourse  the  punishment  of  the  ten  tribes 
was  different  from  that  of  the  two.  The  former  were  cast 
out  of  His  sight,  and  so  far  removed  from  their  ancient 
home  that  they  had  no  further  communication  with  it, 
whereas  the  latter  have  not  been  so  dispersed  abroad  but 
that  they  could  revisit  their  holy  city  and  keep  up  a 
communication  with  their  brethren  who  still  reside  there. 

The  expression,  "  He  cast  them  out  of  His  sight,"  has 
a  double  reference  :  1,  to  the  Holy  Land  ;  2,  to  the  church 
of  God.  Moses,  in  describing  the  land  of  Canaan,  the 
inheritance  of  Abraham's  seed,  says,  "  It  is  a  land  which 
the  Lord  thy  God  careth  for  ;  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  thy  God 
are  always  upon  it,  from  the  beginning  of  the  year  unto 
the  end  of  the  year."  Ejection  from  this  land,  which 
His  eyes  were  always  on,  was  therefore  (in  Jewish  phrase) 
a  being  cast  out  of  His  sight ;  and  as  His  Church  is  the 
dearest  object  in  the  world  that  He  can  look  upon,  entire 
separation  from  her  ministry  and  ordinances  is  also  a  being 
cast  out  of  His  sight.  This  has  been  the  fate  of  the  Ten 
Tribes,  none  of  whom  have  revisited  their  native  land, 
that  we  have  any  knowledge  of,  since  their  captivity,  ex- 
cept the  wise  men  from  the  East  were  of  their  number  ; 
while  the  two  tribes  have  often  made  pilgrimages  to  the 
Holy  Land,  and  thousands  of  them,  in  different  ages, 
have  gone  there  to  die  and  rest  among  the  sepulchers  of 
their  fathers. 

It  would  seem,  from  the  Prophecy  of  Hosea,  that  the 
sin  of  idolatry,  for  which  the  ten  tribes  were  cast  out  of 
God's  sight,  shall  cleave  to  them  until  the  time  of  their 
restoration  to  their  own  land,  even  as  the  sin  of  the  two 
tribes,  viz  ,  the  rejection  of  the  Messiah,  will  be  persevered 


56  THE   RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES. 

in  by  them  until  their  return.  In  Hosea,  xiv.  4-8,  God 
says,  "  I  will  heal  their  backsliding.  I  will  love  them 
freely,  for  mine  anger  is  turned  away  from  them.  Then 
Ephraim  shall  say,  what  have  I  to  do  any  more  with 
idols  ?"  The  account  of  Mr.  Sargon  respecting  the  Beni 
Israel  was,  that  they  kept  idols  and  worshiped  them, 
and  used  idolatrous  ceremonies  mixed  with  Hebrew,  all 
which,  when  God  will  appear  for  their  deliverance,  shall 
be  abandoned.  "  Ephraim  shall  say,  what  have  I  to  do 
any  more  with  idols  ?" 

There  are  many  questions  connected  with  the  restora- 
tion of  the  ten  tribes,  which  the  occasion  does  not  permit 
us  to  enter  into  fully,  such  as,  1.  The  probable  period  of 
their  restoration.  This  seems  from  Prophecy  to  be  about 
the  time  of  the  downfall  of  the  Mohammedan  empire,  for 
as  all  symbols  are  derived  from  some  literal  event,  so  the 
drying  up  of  the  river  Euphrates  is  the  literal  event 
which  has  generally  been  regarded  also  as  the  symbol  of 
the  exhaustion  of  the  Turkish  power,  (because  that  power 
compasses  that  river,)  the  signs  of  whose  decay  are  mani- 
fest to  all  the  world.  2.  The  circumstances  attending  their 
restoration.  These  shall  be  very  extraordinary.  They 
shall  be  brought  forth  from  their  hiding  place  by  some 
visible  token  from  God.  The  Prophet  Isaiah,  xi.  11,  12, 
says,  "It  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day  that  the  Lord 
shall  set  His  hand  the  second  time  to  recover  the  remnant 
of  His  people  which  shall  be  left,  from  Assyria,  and  from 
Egypt,  and  from  Pathros,and  from  Gush,  and  from  Elam, 
and  from  Shinar,  and  from  Hamath,  and  from  the  islands 
of  the  sea,  and  He  shall  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations, 
and  shall  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  (i.  e.}  the  ten 


THE   RESTORATION   OF    THE    TEN    TRIBES.  57 

tribes,)  and  gather  together  the  dispersed  of  Judah,  (i.  e., 
the  two  tribes,)  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth."  This 
ensign,  we  are  inclined  to  think,  will  be  the  pillar  of  cloud 
and  of  fire  which  formerly  conducted  them  from  Egypt 
to  Canaan,  for  the  Prophet  adds,  in  verse  16,  "  there  shall 
be  a  highway  for  the  remnant  of  His  people  which  shall  be 
left  from  Assyria"  (i.  e.,  the  ten  tribes,)  like  as  it  was  to 
Israel  in  the  day  that  he  came  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  when  the  ensign  set  up,  or  the  sign  of  His  pres- 
ence, was  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  of  fire,  which  went  up 
before  them,  and  which  they  followed.  In  the  next  place, 
they  shall  come  forth  with  great  might.  The  Prophet 
Zechariah  says,  ix.  13,  "  When  I  have  bent  Judah  for 
me,  and  filled  the  bow  with  Ephraim,  and  raised  up  thy 
sons,  0  Zion,  against  thy  sons,  0  Greece,  and  made  thee 
as  the  sword  of  a  mighty  man,  the  Lord  shall  be  seen 
over  them,  and  His  arrow  shall  go  forth  as  the  lightning, 
and  the  Lord  God  shall  blow  the  trumpet,  and  shall  go 
forth  as  the  whirlwinds  of  the  south/'  "  The  nations," 
Micah  vii.  16,  "  shall  see  and  be  confounded  at  all  their 
might,  they  shall  lay  their  hands  upon  their  mouth,  they 
shall  be  afraid,  because  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  shall 
fear  because  of  thee,  for  Israel  shall  do  valiantly." 
Numbers,  xxiv.  18. 

Their  reconciliation  and  reunion  with  the  two  tribes 
shall  then  take  place,  as  shown  by  the  Prophet  Ezekiel 
in  the  vision  of  the  valley  of  dry  bones,  which  is  explained 
to  him  to  mean  the  happy  reunion  of  the  whole  twelve 
tribes,  as  one  nation,  and  their  harmonious  establishment 
under  one  head ;  to  this  Prophecy,  in  Ezekiel  xxxvii.,  we 
must  refer  the  reader,  as  it  is  too  long  for  quotation. 

8* 


58  THE   RESTORATION   OF   THE   TEN   TRIBES. 

But  there  is  one  remarkable  circumstance  connected 
with  their  restoration  which  is  almost  too  astounding  to 
believe,  i.  e.,  after  their  arrival  at  the  Holy  Land,  con- 
ducted as  they  have  been  by  the  ensign  lifted  up,  they  will 
set  up  a  false  Messiah  whom  they  will  honor  with  great 
glory,  even  with  idolatrous  reverence,  and  give  to  him  the 
homage  which  is  due  alone  to  Christ.  This,  however,  is 
not  more  remarkable  than  their  conduct  in  the  wilderness, 
where,  after  they  had  seen  the  wonderful  deliverance  of 
the  Ked  Sea,  heard  the  voice  of  God  from  Sinai,  and  had 
the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  before  their  eyes  continually, 
they  still  fell  into  idolatry  and  made  a  golden  calf. 

The  Jews  have  had  for  many  ages  past  a  belief  that 
there  will  be  a  Messiah  ben  Joseph  before  the  corning  of 
the  Messiah  ben  David,  who  will  deceive  their  nation 
and  finally  be  slain.  As  this  topic,  however,  is  to  form 
the  subject  of  another  lecture  on  the  last  Antichrist,  we 
shall  not  enter  into  it  any  further  than  to  say,  that  it 
would  not  be  surprising  if  the  ten  tribes,  who  have  no 
knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  who  are  in  a  state  of  partial 
idolatry,  finding  themselves  in  the  land  of  their  fathers, 
and  brought  there  by  an  uplifted  sign  going  before 
them,  as  the  star  led  the  wise  men  ages  ago,  should 
look  around  them  for  the  head  of  their  nation,  and  should 
finally  accept  some  pretender  or  impostor,  gifted  with 
wonderful  arts  of  magic  and  great  personal  valor,  and 
acknowledge  him  as  their  Messiah.  It  would  only  be  in 
keeping  with  their  past  history,  for  the  two  tribes  have 
believed  in  several  Messiahs  since  their  rejection  of  Him 
whom  God  sent,  thus  fulfilling  the  word  he  spake  to 
them,  "I  am  come  in  my  Father's  name,  and  ye  re- 


THE   RESTORATION   OF    THE   TEN   TRIBES.  59 

ceive  me  not ;  if  another  shall  come  in  his  own  name, 
him  will  ye  receive/'  This  apostacy,  however,  will  not 
continue  long,  for  after  an  attack  upon  them  by  some  hos- 
tile nation,  an  invasion  of  their  country  and  partial  capture 
of  their  city,  as  described  by  the  Prophet,  Zechariah, 
xiv.,  Christ  will  personally  appear,  and  then  as  Joseph 
made  himself  known  to  his  brethren,  will  He  reveal  Him- 
self to  them,  and  to  all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and  that 
Prophecy  of  Isaiah  shall  be  fulfilled,  u  a  nation  shall  be 
born  in  a  day."  As  Saint  Paul  was  by  the  appearance 
of  Christ  to  him  immediately  convinced  of  his  error,  and 
brought  to  faith  in  Him,  so  he  is  set  forth  in  Scripture  a 
typej  1  Timothy,  i.  16,  of  the  future  conversion  of  the 
whole  Jewish  nation  at  the  personal  appearing  of  the 
Son  of  Man  at  His  second  coming,  when  the  lost  ten 
tribes  and  the  two  scattered  tribes  and  all  the  tribes  of 
the  earth  shall  see  Him  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven 
with  power  and  great  glory  to  take  to  Himself  His  great 
power  and  reign.  Nearest  to  Him  in  that  glorious  king- 
dom which  He  will  then  establish  will  be  the  children 
of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  His  kinsmen  according  to 
the  flesh,  the  rightful  owners  of  the  land  of  His  birth, 
His  death,  and  His  sepulcher,  who,  though  long  cast 
off,  are  yet  beloved  for  the  father's  sake,  and  shall  be  re- 
stored to  their  ancient  inheritance  when  the  times  of  the 
Gentiles  are  fulfilled  and  the  time  to  favor  Zion  lias  come. 
"  For  thus  saith  the  Lord,  who  giveth  the  sun  for  a  light  by 
day,  and  the  ordinances  of  the  moon  and  the  stars  for  a 
light  by  night,  if  those  ordinances  depart  from  before  me, 
saith  the  Lord,  then  the  seed  of  Israel  shall  also  cease  from 
being  a  nation  before  me  for  ever"  (they  may  for  many 


60      THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  TEN  TRIBES. 

long  ages  but  shall  not/or  ever,)  "  for  lo  I  will  command 
and  will  sift  the  house  of  Israel  among  all  nations,  as 
corn  is  sifted  in  a  sieve,  yet  shall  not  the  least  grain  fall 
upon  the  earth,  for  I  will  bring  again  the  captivity  of 
my  people  Israel,  and  will  plant  them  upon  their  land, 
and  they  shall  no  more  be  pulled  up  out  of  their  land 
which  I  have  given  them,  saith  the  Lord  God."  Amos,  ix. 
9,  14,  15. 


LECTURE    IV. 

ANTICHRIST. 

"  Now  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  by  o^r  gathering  together  unto  Him,  that  ye  be  not  soon  shaken  in 
mind,  or  be  troubled,  neither  by  spirit  nor  by  word,  nor  by  letter  as  from  us, 
as  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at  hand ;  let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means, 
for  that  day  shall  not  come  except  there  come  a  falling  away  first,  and  that 
man  of  sin  be  revealed,  the  son  of  perdition,  who  opposeth  or  exalteth  him. 
self  above  all  that  is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshiped,  so  that  he  as  God 
sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  showing  himself  that  he  is  God.  Remember 
3re  not  that  when  I  was  yet  with  you  I  told  you  these  things  ?  and  now  ye 
know  what  withholdeth,  that  he  might  be  revealed  in  his  time,  for  the  mys- 
tery of  iniquity  doth  already  work,  only  he  who  now  letteth  will  let,  until 
he  be  taken  out  of  the  way,  and  then  shall  that  "Wicked  be  revealed  whom 
the  Lord  will  consume  with  the  spirit  of  His  mouth,  and  destroy  with  the 
brightness  of  His  coming,  even  Him,  whose  coming  is  after  the  working  o* 
Satan,  with  all  power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders,  and  with  all  deceiv- 
ableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that  perish,  because  they  received  not 
the  love  of  the  truth  that  they  might  be  saved.  And  for  this  cause  God 
shall  send  them  strong  delusion  that  they  all  might  be  damned  who  believe 
not  the  truth  but  had  pleasure  in.  unrighteousness." — 2  TIIESSALONIANS,  ii. 
1-12. 

THIS  passage  of  Scripture  has  stood  for  nearly  eighteen 
hundred  years  in  the  New  Testament,  as  a  warning  voice 
from  God  to  the  Church  to  be  on  the  look-out  for  a  cun- 
ning seducer,  a  vile  impostor,  a  bold  blasphemer  and 
tyrant,  who  shall  arise  in  the  end  of  this  dispensation  to 
overthrow  the  Christian  faith  and  establish  in  its  stead 
the  reign  of  infidelity.  Although  it  has  been  read  for 


62  %  ANTICHRIST. 

many  centuries,  and  studied  and  commented  on,  yet  the 
learned  have  never  been  able  to  agree  as  to  its  ful- 
fillment, some  supposing  it  is  past,  others  still  future. 
One  strong  presumption  against  its  having  already  been 
fulfilled  is  the  fact  that  the  Christian  world  can  not 
agree  either  as  to  the  time  or  particulars  of  its  fulfill- 
ment. Every  theory  that  has  been  advanced  has  been 
objected  to  on  account  of  its  not  fully  realizing  the  de- 
scription here  and  elsewhere  given  of  Antichrist.  From 
the  very  explicit  language  of  this  Prophecy,  one  would 
suppose  that  when  its  fulfillment  does  take  place  it  will 
be  so  striking  and  plain  that  none  will  be  any  longer  in 
doubt  about  the  right  interpretation  of  it.  But  such  a 
fulfillment  has  not  yet  been  realized,  and  therefore  we 
infer  that  the  Prophecy  is  still  an  unaccomplished  pre- 
diction. Before  presenting  the  views  we  have  formed 
of  the  true  meaning  of  this  Prophecy,  we  would 

1.  Offer  some  remarks  on  the  subject  of  Antichrist  in 
general. 

2.  Mention  some  of  the  opinions  entertained  of  him  by 
primitive  Christians  and  the  early  Fathers  of  the  Church. 

3.  Draw  out  the  character  described  in  the  text  and  re- 
ferred to  in  other  portions  of  Scripture^  that  all  may  see 
that  it  is  one  yet  to  appear. 

1.  Perhaps  there  is  no  appellative  in  Scripture  to  which 
looser  ideas  are  attached  than  to  the  word  Antichrist. 
This  probably  proceeds  from  a  careless  reading  of  two 
passages  in  the  Epistle  of  St.  John.  The  first  is,  "Every 
spirit  that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in 
the  flesh  is  not  of  God,"  1  John.  iv.  3;  "  and  this  is  that 
spirit  of  Antichrist  whereof  ye  have  heard  that  it  should 


ANTICHRIST.  63 

come,  and  now  already  is  in  the  world."  The  second  is, 
"For  many  deceivers  are  entered  into  the  world  which  con- 
fess not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh,"  2  John, 
verse  7  ;  "  this  is  a  deceiver  and  an  Antichrist."  From 
these  passages  it  has  been  inferred  that  the  term  is  alto- 
gether a  generic  term,  applicable  to  any  system  that  is 
hostile  to  truth,  and  that  it  is  not  to  be  applied  to  any 
single  individual  that  ever  has  or  will  arise. 

But  the  Apostle  by  no  means  teaches  this.  He  speaks 
of  an  Antichrist  of  which  they  had  already  heard,  whose 
spirit  was  already  in  the  world,  and  declares  that  every 
one  that  denies  tha't  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh  was 
an  Antichrist  in  spirit,  not  the  Antichrist.  Such  declara- 
tions do  not  destroy  the  individuality  of  Antichrist,  they 
only  declare  that  his  spirit  would  be  at  work  in  the  world 
long  before  he  himself  should  appear.  That  a  monster 
of  iniquity  and  blasphemy  should  appear  in  the  latter 
days  and  just  before  the  establishment  of  the  Messiah's 
kingdom,  is  a  truth  which  was  not  only  more  or  less  dis- 
tinctly apprehended  even  by  the  Jews  of  old,  who  called 
him  the  Ante-Messiah,  or  Messiah  Ben  Joseph,  but  was 
fully  acknowledged  by  the  first  believers  in  Christianity. 
As  one  says  who  has  written  learnedly  on  this  subject, 
"  Type  and  Prophecy  alike  foreboded  a  last  struggle 
with  a  wicked  one,  the  fulfiller  and  consummator  of 
transgression,  and  thence  also  of  divine  indignation,  the 
rod  of  chastisement  to  the  holy  people,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  scourge  of  the  apostate  nations/' 

The  character  of  this  enemy,  so  far  as  we  can  gather 
it  from  the  various  descriptions  given  in  Scripture,  is, 
that  he  shall  exceed  all  his  types  and  predecessors  in 


64  ANTICHRIST. 

tyranny,  blasphemy,  and  oppression  ;  that  he  shall  be 
supported  by  a  confederacy  of  the  nations,  and  that  he 
shall  finally  fall  before  the  Messiah,  standing  up  to 
avenge  His  people  in  the  land  of  Israel  and  by  means 
altogether  superhuman. 

Various  have  been  the  conjectures  of  both  the  ancients 
and  moderns  as  it  regards  this  last  foe,  and  who  he  shall 
be.  The  Fathers  were  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  he 
would  be  a  person  not  a  system,  but  they  differed  as  to 
the  nature  of  his  person.  Hippolytus  thought  he  would 
be  Satan  himself,  in  the  appearance  of  a  man,  boasting 
that  he  was  born  of  a  virgin,  which  opinion  he  derived 
from  the  passage  in  Kevelations,  "  Woe  to  the  inhabiters 
of  the  earth  and  sea,  for  the  devil  is  come  down  to  you 
in  great  wrath,  for  he  knoweth  that  he  hath  but  a  short 
time."  Lactantius,  Sulspitius,  and  others,  thought  he 
would  be  a  hyrbrid,  or  the  offspring  of  Satan  by  a  har- 
lot. Hilary  thought  the  devil  would  become  incarnate,  as 
the  Son  of  God  was,  and  Jerome  inclined  to  the  same 
opinion  ;  whilst  Chrysostom,  Theopolact,  and  Theodoret, 
thought  he  would  be  a  real  man,  but  the  agent  of  Satan. 
It  is  singular  how  general  the  belief  was  in  ancient  days 
that  the  Antichrist  was  to  proceed  from  the  tribe  of  Dan. 
This  opinion  is  derived  from  several  passages  of  Scripture 
which  it  is  unnecessary  either  to  refer  to  or  comment 
upon. 

Before  proceeding  to  a  more  particular  consideration 
of  the  character  of  the  last  Antichrist  and  his  exploits, 
let  us  notice  the  various  names  by  which  he  is  designated 
in  Scripture. 

The  first  we  meet  with  is  in  Isaiah,  xiv.  12-16,  where 


ANTICHRIST.  65 

he  is  called  Lucifer,  the  Son  of  the  Morning,  who  says  in 
his  heart,  I  will  ascend  into  heaven,  I  will  exalt  my 
throne  above  the  stars  of  God,  I  will  sit  also  upon  the 
mount  of  the  congregation,  in  the  sides  of  the  north;  I 
will  ascend  ahove  the  heights  of  the  clouds,  I  will  be  like 
the  Most  High  ;  yet,  says  the  prophet,  thou  shalt  be 
brought  down  to  hell,  to  the  sides  of  the  pit  ;  they  that 
see  thee  shall  consider  thee,  saying,  is  this  the  MAN  that 
made  the  earth  to  tremble,  that  did  shake  the  kingdoms, 
that  made  the  earth  as  a  wilderness,  and  destroyed  the 
cities  thereof?  The  boastful  pretensions  of  this  Lucifer, 
Son  of  Morning,  who  will  ascend  into  heaven,  and  exalt 
his  throne  above  the  stars,  and  be  like  the  Most  High  ; 
this  MAN  that  did  shake  the  kingdoms,  etc.,  and  yet  is  cast 
down  to  hell,  is  very  like  that  Man  of  Sin  spoken  of  in  the 
text,  that  Son  of  Perdition  who  will  exalt  himself  above 
all  that  is  called  God,  or  is  worshiped  ;  who  will  sit  in 
the  temple  of  God,  and  show  himself  as  God,  but  yet  be 
destroyed  by  the  brightness  of  Christ's  coming  and  by  the 
spirit  of  His  mouth. 

The  second  description  of  the  last  Antichrist  is  given 
by  the  Prophet  Daniel,  xi.  36,  who  says,  "At  the  time  of 
the  end  a  king  shall  arise  who  shall  do  according  to  his 
will,  and  shall  exalt  and  magnify  himself  above  every 
God,  and  shall  speak  marvelous  things  against  the 
God  of  gods,  and  shall  not  regard  the  God  of  his  fathers 
nor  the  desire  of  women,"  (i.  e.,  Messiah,  for  every  Jewish 
mother  hoped  to  have  the  honor  of  giving  birth  to  the 
Messiah,)  "nor  regard  any  God,  but  shall  exalt  himself 
above  all,  and  shall  plant  the  tabernacles  of  his  palace  be- 
tween the  seas,"  (i.  e.,  the  Mediterranean  and  Dead  Seas,) 


66 


ANTICHRIST. 


"  in  the  glorious  holy  mountain,"  (i.  e.,  Mount  Zion,) 
"  where  he  shall  come  to  his  end  and  none  shall  help  him." 
How  many  features  the  character  here  referred  to  has  in 
common  with  the  one  described  in  our  text  will  be  readily 
perceived  by  a  comparison  of  the  two  Prophecies.  1.  The 
Man  of  Sin  and  Son  of  Perdition  spoken  of  in  the  text 
will  oppose  and  exalt  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God 
and  worshiped.  So  the  willful  king  of  Daniel  shall  exalt 
and  magnify  himself  against  every  God  and  shall  speak 
marvelous  things  against  the  God  of  gods.  2.  The  Man 
of  Sin  in  the  text  shall  sit  in  the  temple  of  God  and  show 
himself  to  be  God,  or  exhibit  himself  as  God.  So  the 
willful  king  shall  plant  the  tabernacle  of  his  palaces  in 
the  holy  mount,  i.  e.,  Zion,  where  the  temple  stood  and 
will  again  stand,  and  there  magnify  himself  above  all 
gods.  3.  The  Man  of  Sin  shall  at  last  be  destroyed  by 
the  brightness  of  Christ's  coming  and  the  spirit  of  His 
mouth.  So  the  willful  king  shall  come  to  his  end  and 
none  shall  help  him,  an  expression  intimating  a  sud- 
den and  violent  death  from  which  there  can  be  no 
escape. 

The  third  description  of  Antichrist  is  in  Kevelations,  xiii. 
where  the  Apostle  John  describes  one  who  comes  up  out  of 
the  earth  and  doeth  great  wonders,  so  that  he  makethfire 
to  come  down  from  God  out  of  heaven  in  the  sight  of  men, 
and  deceiveth  them  that  dwell  on  earth  by  means  of  the 
miracles  he  has  power  to  do,  who  establishes  the  idola- 
trous worship  of  some  new  deity  by  arts  of  magic,  and 
seduces  all  that  dwell  on  earth,  whose  names  are  not 
written  in  the  book  of  life,  to  worship  him.  Our  text 
calls  him  that  Wicked,  whose  coming  is  after  the  power  of 


ANTICHRIST.  67 

Satan  with  all  power  and  signs  and  lying  wonders,  and 
with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that 
perish.     This  false  prophet  also,  like  the  Man  of  Sin  in 
our  text,  and  Lucifer,  the  Son  of  the  Morning,  in  Isaiah, 
and  the  willful  king  in  Daniel,  shall  come  to  a  terrible 
end,  for  lie  shall  be  cast  into  a  lake  of  fire  burning  with 
brimstone,  which  is  the  second  death.     Kevelations,  xix. 
20.     Our  Saviour,   in    one  of   His  discourses  with  the 
Jews,  -who  rejected  Him  though  He  had  done  so  many 
mighty  miracles  among  them,  says,  John,  v.  43,  "  I  arn 
come    in  my   Father's   name   and  ye   receive   me   not, 
another  will  come  in  his  own  name,  him  will  ye  receive." 
Now  this  is  a  Prophecy  which  either  has  been  or  has  yet 
to  be  fulfilled.     In  another  place,  Matthew,  xxiv.  19-25, 
speaking  of  the  last  days  He  says,  "There  shall  be  a  great 
tribulation,  such  as  was  not  known  since  the  beginning 
of  the  world,  nor  ever  shall  be  ;  arid  except  those  days  be 
shortened  there  should  be  no  flesh  saved,  but  for   the 
elect's  sake  they  shall  be  shortened.    Then  if  any  man  say 
unto  you,  lo  here  is  Christ,  or  there,  believe  it  not ;  for 
there   shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false  prophets,  and 
shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders,  insomuch  that  if  it 
were  possible  they  should  deceive  the  very  elect.     Be- 
hold," he  adds,  "I  have  told  you  before."     How  necessary 
such  a  warning  is,  and  has  been,  the  history  of  the  many 
sad  delusions  and  apostacies  from  the  Christian   faith, 
which  have  occurred  during  the  last  eighteen  centuries, 
furnishes  ample  proof.     Because  the  voice  of  Christ  has 
not  been  heeded,  all  manner  of  superstitions  and  heresies 
have  sprung   up  and  flourished.     But   the  question  is 
often  asked,  have   not  all   these  prophecies  co 

OF  THB 

DIVERSITY 


68  ANTICHKIST. 

Antichrist  been  already  fulfilled  ?  Has  not  the  Mo- 
hammedan delusion  and  the  papal  superstition  realized 
the  pictures  the  sacred  penmen  have  drawn  of  Anti- 
christ ?  We  answer,  they  have  not,  for 

1.  Mohammed,  though  he  rejected  the  divinity  of  Christ, 
and  sought  to  reduce  Him  to  the  rank  of  a  mere  Prophet, 
never  reviled  Him,  nor  magnified  himself  above  all  that 
is  called  God,  or  is  worshiped,  nor  sat  in  the  temple  of 
God  to  be  adored,  nor  wrought  miracles  in  support  of 
his  pretensions,  nor  came  to  a- violent  end  at  last,  all  of 
which  are  the  features  of  the  Antichrist  of  Isaiah,  Dan- 
iel, St.  John  in  Revelations,  and  St.  Paul  in  our  text. 
Therefore,  he  can  not  be  the  Antichrist  of  the  last  days. 

2.  Popery,  with  all  its  blasphemous  pretensions  and 
idolatrous  rites,  has  never  denied  the  Father  and   Son, 
has  never  rejected  formally  the  holy  Scriptures  or  the 
Apostles'  creed,  nor  the  Nicene  and  Athanasian  creeds, 
those  ancient  symbols  of  the  Christian  faith.     Those  who 
think  the  Roman  pontiff  is  the  Man  of  Sin  of  St.  Paul, 
and  the  willful  king  of  Daniel,  base  that  opinion  on  the 
titles  which  have  been  given  to  the  Pope,  such  as  our 
"  Lord  God  the  Pope,"  which  used  to  be  addressed  to 
him,  and  a  "  God  upon  earth"  as  he  was  called  in  the 
plenitude  of  his  power.     The  homage  he  claimed  for  St. 
Peter's  chair,  and  the  titles  he  assumed,  such  as  "  King 
of  kings"  and  "Lord  of  lords,"  they  consider  to  have 
been  the  exalting  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God, 
and  that  is  worshiped  ;   and  his  assumed  preeminence 
in  the  Church,  to  be  his  sitting  in  the  temple  of  God, 
showing  himself  as  God.     The  pretended  miracles  of  that 
Church  they  also  consider  to   be  the  signs,  and  lying 


ANTICHRIST.  69 

wonders,  and  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness,  by  which 
so  many  have  been  induced  to  put  faith  in  that  system 
of  delusion.  But  he  has  never  made  fire  to  come  down 
out  of  heaven  in  the  sight  of  men,  as  Antichrist  shall  do, 
nor  been  destroyed  by  violence,  as  he  shall  be.  Neither 
is  the  expression,  "  Man  of  Sin,"  and  "  Son  of  Perdition" 
strictly  applicable  to  a  system,  the  heads  of  which  are 
continually  changing.  Counting  from  Boniface  III., 
created  first  universal  bishop,  by  the  emperor  Phocas, 
in  606,  Rome  numbers  one  hundred  and  ninety-one 
Popes,  not  one  of  whom  has  ever  realized  all  that  is  here 
spoken  of  Antichrist.  We  conclude,  therefore,  that  how- 
ever Antichristian  that  system,  as  well  as  the  Moham- 
medan, may  be,  in  its  spirit,  yet  it  is  not  that  Antichrist 
to  which  both  the  Prophets  and  Apostles  and  our  Sav- 
iour allude  in  the  passages  to  which  we  have  already 
referred. 

The  expression,  "  that  MAN  of  Sin  and  SON  of  Perdi- 
tion," more  naturally  refers  to  an  individual,  than  to  any 
system  of  which  a  succession  of  individuals  are  the  contin- 
uous head.  The  acts  described  are  personal  acts,  the  doom 
received  is  a  personal  doom.  We  do  not  say  of  a  system 
of  falsehoods  that  it  shall  be  cast  into  hell.  Korah,  Da- 
than,  and  Abiram  were  swallowed  up  in  the  earth,  not 
their  conspiracy  against  Moses,  nor  the  rebellion  which 
grew  out  of  it ;  the  judgment  was  upon  the  persons 
engaged  in  the  act.  So  the  judgment  foretold  in  our 
text  against  Antichrist,  viz.,  that  he  shall  be  destroyed 
by  the  brightness  of  Christ's  coming,  (the  second  coming 
of  course,)  and  the  spirit  of  His  mouth,  shows  that  he 
must  be  an  individual  who  shall  be  caught  in  the  very 


70  ANTICHRIST. 

act  of  blasphemy,  imposture,  and  oppression,  when  the 
Son  of  Man  shall  appear  again  to  establish  His  kingdom, 
and  shall  be  punished  on  the  spot.  Mohammed  died,  and 
had  an  honorable  burial.  The  Roman  pontiffs  go  down 
to  the  grave  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony ;  but  this 
last  enemy  of  God  and  man,  this  proud  Lucifer,  who 
would  exalt  his  throne  above  the  stars  of  God,  shall 
have  no  burial,  says  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  xiv.  19,  but  shall 
be  cast  out  as  an  abominable  branch,  as  a  carcass  trodden 
under  foot. 

In  addition  to  this,  the  time  of  the  appearance  of  this 
last  Antichrist  is  specified  and  fixed,  viz.,  just  before 
the  second  appearing  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  The  Apostle,  in  the  text,  says,  "Now  we  be- 
seech you,  brethren,  by  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  ye  be  not  soon  shaken  in  mind,  or  be 
troubled,  neither  by  word  or  by  letter  from  us,  as  that 
the  day  of  Christ  is  at  hand."  Why  did  the  Apostle 
send  them  this  caution  ?  Because,  in  his  first  epistle 
to  them,  he  had  written,  "  This  we  say  unto  you  by 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  that  we  which  are  alive  and 
remain  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  shall  not  prevent 
(or  go  before)  them  which  are  asleep/'  1  Thess.,  iv.  15-17, 
"for  the  Lord  Himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with 
a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  the  trump 
of  God  ;  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first;  then  we 
who  are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together 
with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air ; 
and  so  shall  we  be  ever  with  the  Loixl."  From  the  con- 
stant use  of  the  pronoun  WE — we  who  remain,  we  who 
are  alive,  the  Thessalonian  brethren  inferred  that  this 


ANTICHRIST.  71 

event,  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord,  would  take  place 
in  their  day.  The  Apostle,  in  his  second  epistle,  in  our 
text,  exhorts  them  not  to  he  troubled,  whether  by  word 
or  by  letter  from  him,  as  though  that  day  was  at  hand  ; 
"  for,"  he  adds,  "  that  day  shall  not  come  except  there 
come  a  falling  away  first,  and  that  MAN  of  Sin  be  re- 
vealed, the  SON  OF  PERDITION,  who  exalteth  himself 
above  all  that  is  called  God,  and  is  worshiped."  This, 
together  with  the  fact  that  he  shall  be  destroyed  by  the 
brightness  of  His  coming,  clearly  fixes  the  period  of 
the  rise  of  Antichrist  at  the  end  of  this  dispensation. 
Besides,  the  period  of  his  reign  shall  be  a  short  one. 
Three  years  and  a  half,  or  forty-two  months,  or  twelve 
hundred  and  sixty  days,  or  time,  times,  and  a  half  time, 
(which  are  only  different  expressions  of  the  same  period,) 
is  its  appointed  duration  ;  showing  clearly  that  neither 
Mohammedanism  or  Romanism,  which  has  existed  for 
centuries,  can  be  this  fearful  apostacy.  The  expres- 
sions, "  Man  of  Sin,"  and  "  Son  of  Perdition,"  are  also 
very  characteristic  of  this  last  deceiver  and  impostor. 
The  first,  "tJie  Man  of  Sin,"  suggests  the  idea  of  greatei 
boldness,  and  more  heaven-daring  impiety  than  was 
ever  before  reached  by  any  individual  ;  the  MAN 
who  has  excelled  all  others  in  transgression,  emphati- 
cally the  MAN  OF  SIN,  and  Son  of  Perdition.  The 
only  other  person  in  Scripture  to  whom  this  appellation 
is  given  is  Judas  Iscariot ;  from  which  circumstance  some 
of  the  ancients  conjectured  that  the  Antichrist  would 
be  the  spirit  of  Judas  Iscariot  revived,  and  reanimating 
some  one  in  the  latter  time.  But  the  expression  "  Son  of 
Perdition"  probably  denotes  only  the  speedy,  utter,  and 


72  ANTICHRIST. 

hopeless  ruin  of  this  bold  blasphemer  and  impostor — one 
doomed  to  destruction.  The  term  Antichrist,  applied 
to  this  last  enemy  of  the  Church,  seems  to  denote  two 
things  ;  first,  his  pretense  to  be  the  Saviour  of  long 
promise,  the  Messiah  foretold  by  the  Prophets  ;  and  yet, 
second,  the  utter  opposition  of  his  character  to  His.  The 
Jews,  who  have  persevered  in  the  rejection  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  to  the  present  day,  still  believe  that  the 
Messiah  promised  of  old  will  yet  appear  and  gather 
them  to  their  own  land.  When,  therefore,  the  way  shall 
be  opened  by  Divine  Providence  for  their  return,  it  is 
highly  probable  that  some  pretender  to  the  character  of 
a  Messiah  will  arise,  who,  endowed  by  Satan  with  won- 
derful power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders,  shall  to  all 
appearance  seem  to  be  a  deliverer  raised  up  for  them 
by  God.  When  Elijah  proposed  to  Ahab  to  try  which 
was  the  true  God,  Jehovah  or  Baal,  the  test  was  to 
be  this  :  "  The  God  that  answereth  by  fire  shall  be  the 
true  God.  And  when  all  the  people  saw  the  fire  come 
down  from  heaven  and  consume  Elijah's  sacrifice,  they 
said,  The  Lord  He  is  God,  the  Lord  He  is  God." 

Now  this  last  Antichrist,  by  some  power  which  he 
shall  possess,  shall  make  fire  to  come  down  from  heaven 
in  the  sight  of  men,  and  shall  deceive  them  by  signs  and 
lying,  by  wonders  which  he  shall  perform,  and  shall  so 
establish  his  impious  claims  to  be  the  true  Christ,  that  all 
the  world  shall  wonder  after  him  !  The  argument  of  mira- 
cles is  often  more  powerful  when  brought  in  support  of 
error  than  of  truth.  Why  ?  because  error  is  more  con- 
genial to  man's  corrupt  nature  than  truth;  error  is  flat- 
tering, truth  is  humbling.  A  splendid,  dashing,  conquer- 


ANTICHRIST.  73 

ing  Messiah  would,  with  no  miracles  at  all,  have  been 
more  acceptable  to  the  Jews  than  the  meek  and  lowly 
Jesus  was  with  all  His  wondrous  works.  This  is  very 
evident  from  the  fact  that  since  their  rejection  of  Him 
they  have  followed  several  Messiahs,  who  without  mira- 
cles have  performed  only  acts  of  heroism  and  valor.  The 
famous  Bar  Cochebas,  of  the  second  century,  who  at  the 
head  of  a  large  army  committed  dreadful  excesses  upon 
both  Christians  and  heathen,  is  well  known  to  the  read- 
ers of  history,  and  the  zeal  with  which  they  flocked  to 
his  standard  and  fought  until  he  was  overpowered  by 
Koman  forces,  and  slain  with  more  than  sixty  thousand 
of  his  followers,  shows  the  ease  with  which  they  may  be 
deluded  on  this  subject.  A  history  of  the  false  Messiahs 
among  the  Jews,  since  their  rejection  of  the  true  one, 
has  been  published  about  forty  years  since,  from  which 
it  appears  that  no  less  than  twenty-five  of  such  impos- 
tors have  arisen  in  sixteen  hundred  years,  who  all  have 
had  their  followers,  and  by  whose  delusions  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  that  people  have  been  slain,  showing  how 
literally  our  Lord's  words  have  been  fulfilled,  "  Many 
false  Christs  shall  arise  and  deceive  many"— just  pun- 
ishment for  rejecting  the  true  Christ. 

From  these  antecedents  we  would  not  be  surprised  at 
any  time  to  see  them  again  rally  under  the  banner  of 
some  leader  who  could  give  some  marvelous  sign,  or  per- 
form some  great  wonder  in  proof  of  his  pretensions.  But 
the  word  of  Prophecy  has  settled  that  thus  it  shall  be. 
"  Whose  coming,"  says  the  text,  "  is  after  the  working  of 
Satan,  with  all  power  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders,  and 
with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that 

4 


74  ANTICHRIST. 

perish/'  While  such  arguments  are  presented  to  win 
them  to  the  belief  of  his  pretensions,  his  character  will 
at  the  same  time  be  the  most  opposite  to  that  of  the 
true  Christ  ;  showing  him  to  be  morally  as  well  as  per- 
sonally Antichrist.  Let  us  draw  out  the  parallel  between 
them  in  a  few  particulars. 

1.  Christ  came  in  His  Father's  name;  Antichrist  conies 
in  his  own. 

2.  Christ   humbled   Himself  and    became  obedient ; 
Antichrist  exalts  himself  above  all. 

3.  Christ  was  despised  and  rejected  of  men,  and  dis- 
owned of  His  kindred  and  people;  Antichrist  will  be  re- 
ceived and  be  gloried  in  by  them,  and  all  the  world  will 
wonder  after  him. 

4.  Christ  came  to  do  His 'Father's   will;  Antichrist 
shall  do  according  to  his  own  will. 

5.  Christ   glorified   God   on  earth;   Antichrist   blas- 
phemes  the   name   of  God,   and   them  that  dwell   in 
heaven. 

6.  Christ,  because  He  humbled  Himself  and  became 
obedient  unto  death,  was  highly  exalted,  and  sat  down 
on  the  right  hand  of  God  ;  Antichrist,  because  he  says, 
"  I  will  ascend  up  to  heaven,  I  will  be  like  the  Most 
High/'  shall  be  brought  down  to  hell,  to  the  sides  of  the 
pit. 

7.  Christ  is  the  heir  of  all  things;  Antichrist  is  the 
Son  of  Perdition. 

8.  Christ  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever;  Antichrist  shall 
be  utterly  overthrown,  and  deprived  of  his  short-lived 
dominion. 

Thus,  in  every  view  in  which  they  present  themselves, 


ANTICHRIST.  75 

they  are  utterly  and  entirely  at  variance  with  each 
other.  Satan's  last  grand  act  of  malice  against  the 
Kedeemer,  it  seems,  will  he,  not  to  corrupt  the  Chris- 
tian faith  by  false  additions  of  doctrine  or  ridiculous 
superstitions  in  worship,  leaving  the  name  and  substance 
of  Christianity  still  behind,  but  to  utterly  overthrow 
and  supplant  it  by  another  system  in  which  Christ 
will  be  rejected  as  an  impostor,  and  His  gospel  spurned 
for  the  teachings  of  the  false  prophet  who  shall  then 
arise. 

But  what  has  kept  back  for  so  long  a  time,  this  last 
and  greatest  development  of  iniquity  from  showing  it- 
self ?  The  Apostle  says,  in  the  text,  "And  now  ye 
know  what  withholdeth,  that  he,"  (i.  e.,  Antichrist,) 
"  might  be  revealed  in  hfs  time  ;  for  the  mystery  of 
iniquity  doth  already  work,  only  he  who  now  letteth"  (or 
hindereth,)  "  will  let,  until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way, 
and  then  shall  that  Wicked  be  revealed  whom  the  Lord 
will  consume/'  etc.  What  this  hindrance  to  the  rise  and 
reign  of  Antichrist  is,  has  perplexed  the  learned,  fur 
ages  past,  to  determine.  Those  who  maintain  that  the 
Papal  system  is  Antichrist,  say  it  was  the  Pagan  Ko- 
man  empire,  (i.  e>,  Pagan  Eome  stood  in  the  way  of 
Papal  Borne,  and  the  former  had  to  be  removed  before 
the  latter  could  be  developed  ;  in  other  words,  the 
CBBSMTS  had  to  cease  to  reign,  before  the  Koman  bishops 
could  put  on  the  triple  crown  ;)  but  those  who  deny  that 
the  Roman  Church  is  the  Antichrist  of  this  passage, 
are  at  a  loss  to  decide  what  is  the  preventing  cause  of 
Antichrist's  appearance.  Among  the  various  opinions 
given,  which  are  so  numerous  that  we  will  not  venture 


76  ANTICHRIST. 

to  mention  them,  we  think  the  most  probable  is  that  of 
Theodoret,  who  understands  it  to  be  the  decree  of  Di- 
vine Providence.  This  hinders  the  appearance  of  the 
Man  of  Sin  until  the  time  fixed  in  the  counsels  of  God. 
As  Christ  could  not  be  born  until  the  fullness  of  time 
came,  so  neither  can  Antichrist  appear  until  the  time 
known  only  to  God  shall  arrive  ;  and  the  near  ap- 
proach of  this  period  can  only  be  known  by  the  signs 
which  betoken  its  approach.  This,  says  the  text,  is  a 
falling  away  first — a  time  when  even  Christians  them- 
selves will  no  more  love  sound  doctrine,  but  will  heap 
up  to  themselves  teachers  having  itching  ears  ;  when 
they  will  give  heed  to  fables,  and  to  seducing  spirits, 
and  to  doctrines  of  devils,  speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy. 
All  this  is  a  preparation  for  his  coming — smooths  his 
way,  and  makes  his  work  of  deceiving  and  deluding 
mankind  much  easier. 

It  may  greatly  excite  the  wonder  of  men,  that  God 
would  ever  permit  such  a  cunning  adversary  to  arise  to 
ensnare  them  to  their  ruin  ;  but  the  text  explains  the 
wonder,  and  informs  us  why  it  is  permitted,  viz.,  as  a 
judicial  act  of  God's  retributive  justice.  There  are  two 
systems,  which  have  been  at  work  for  ages  past,  sending 
forth  their  respective  influences  throughout  the  world — 
The  system  of  Infidelity,  and  the  system  of  Christianity. 
The  former  is  the  fruitful  source  of  all  error,  supersti- 
tion and  crime  ;  the  latter,  the  fountain  of  truth,  faith, 
acceptable  worship,  and  godliness.  Now,  the  system  of 
Christianity  has,  through  the  gospel,  been  unfolding  the 
love  and  mercy  of  God,  in  Christ  Jesus  His  Son,  and 
spreading  before  us  the  rich  blessings  of  the  Covenant 


ANTICHRIST.  77 

of  Grace,  ratified  and  sealed  in  His  blood.  But.  alas  ! 
how  extensively  have  they  been  despised  and  rejected  by 
the  children  of  men.  For  this  contempt  of  His  grace 
He  opens  the  vials  of  His  wrath,  by  unfolding  the  sys- 
tem of  Infidelity,  and  letting  loose  the  evils  it  contains 
upon  us.  So  says  the  text,  "  Because  they  received  not 
the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be  saved,  for  this 
cause  God  shall  send  them  strong  delusion,  that  they 
shall  believe  a  lie,  that  they  all  might  be  damned  who 
believed  not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure  in  unrighteous- 
ness." Antichrist  is,  therefore,  the  avenger  of  the  dis- 
honor done  to  Christ — the  rod  in  God's  hand  to  chastise 
those  who  refused  to  obey  the  gospel  of  His  Son.  Be- 
cause they  hated  truth,  God  shall  give  them  their  fill  of 
error,  by  the  hands  of  one  who  shall  be  the  most  vile  of 
human  kind, — a  man  of  sin,  and  son  of  perdition,  a 
blaspheming  atheist,  a  cunning  impostor,  who  shall  de- 
ceive, betray,  and  ruin  all  his  followers,  in  soul  and  body, 
for  ever. 

And  have  we  not  great  reason  to  believe  that  this  sys- 
tem of  infidelity  is  hard  at  work  at  the  present  day,  and 
rapidly  approaching  the  period  when  it  shall  be  developed 
(through  the  master  spirit  which  has  always  animated  it, 
viz.,  Satan)  in  him  whose  coming  is  after  the  working 
of  Satan,  with  all  power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders  ? 
In  what  estimation  is  .gospel  truth  now  held  among 
men  generally?  What  deference  is  shown  to  a  "Thus 
saith  the  Lord,''  when  it  comes  in  conflict  with  worldly 
interest  or  policy?  Who  trembles  at  God's  Word,  and 
fears  to  violate  it  ?  The  subjection  of  reason  to  Scrip- 
ture is  regarded  as  a  superstition,  too  far  behind  the 


78  ANTICHRIST. 

advanced  intelligence  of  this  age.  The  boasted  enlight- 
enment of  mankind  regards  itself  as  lifted  above  the 
necessity  of  consulting  the  oracles  of  God,  or  of  going  to 
the  law  and  to  the  testimony  for  counsel  in  the  affairs 
of  life.  The  tendency  to  error  and  superstition,  and 
"  philosophy,  falsely  so  called,"  is  one  of  the  mast  re- 
markable characteristics  of  the  present  age.  All  kinds 
of  speculations  are  preferred  to  plain  gospel  truth.  Even 
the  simplest  narratives  of  Scripture  must  now  be  brought 
before  the  tribunal  of  reason,  or  be  approved  by  human 
science  before  they  can  be  received.  So  that  the  question 
how  far,  and  in  what  way,  we  must  believe  the  Scriptures, 
is  a  question  which  Science  pretends  she  only  can  decide, 
and  multitudes  feel  disposed  to  yield  to  her  claims,  and 
submit  to  her  arbitrament. 

This  species  of  infidelity  God  will  assuredly  punish, 
and  the  way  in  which  He  will  punish  it  seems  very  likely 
to  be  by  suffering  the  wise  to  be  taken  in  their  own  crafti- 
ness ;  by  permitting  Antichrist  to  exhibit  such  signs 
and  lying  wonders  in  support  of  his  pretensions  to  Divine 
homage  as  their  philosophy  can  not  explain.  He  seems 
to  have  the  power  of  a  God,  power  over  nature,  for  he 
"  maketh  fire  to  come  out  of  heaven  in  the  sight  of  men/' 
Throwing  away  the  Scriptures,  and  sitting  in  judgment 
upon  this  wonder,  as  philosophers,  to  what  conclusion 
must  men  come  ?  Why,  that  he  is  from  God.  This  was 
the  criterion  by  which  Elijah  proposed  to  decide  between 
Jehovah  and  Baal.  "  The  God  that  answereth  by  fire 
let  him  be  God,"  and  when  all  the  people  saw  the  fire 
come  down  from  heaven,  and  consume  Elijah's  sacrifice, 
they  fell  on  their  faces,  and  said,  "  The  Lord,  He  is  God/' 


ANTICHRIST.  79 

And  when  Antichrist  does  the  same  thing,  it  seems 
the  same  result  will  follow  ;  "  all  the  world  will  wonder 
after  the  Beast,  and  will  worship  him,  and  say,  who  is 
like  the  Beast,  who  is  able  to  make  war  upon  him  ?"  for, 
as  they  preferred  science  to  revelation,  they  shall  be  con- 
founded on  scientific  principles.  Because  they  received 
not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be  saved,  "  FOR 
THIS  CAUSE/'  says  the  text,  "  God  shall  send  them  strong 
delusion,  that  they  should  believe  a  lie,"  the  lie  of  Anti- 
christ, "  that  they  all  might  be  damned  who  believed  not 
the  truth,"  (i.  e.,  the  Scriptures  of  truth,)  ' '  but  had  plea- 
sure in  unrighteousness." 

"  It  is  indeed  awful/'  says  a  certain  writer  on  this  sub- 
ject, "to  think  of  such  a  consummation,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  see  how  possible  it  is  to  conceive  of  its  ac- 
complishment even  now,  and  the  merging  into  it  of  all 
the  systems  of  error,  however  opposite  to  each  other.  To 
see  high-toned  orthodoxy  joined  with  deism  and  infidelity 
in  the  worship  of  Antichrist,  and  nominal  Protestantism 
and  Popery  find  a  common  ground  in  the  service  of  His 
temple." 

Do  you  say,  impossible  ?  I  answer,  nay,  but  most 
possible  ;  for,  independent  of  the  power  that  sends  the 
delusion,  all  that  faith  which  stands  on  reason  and  ex- 
ternal evidence  will  soon  yield,  on  its  own  principles,  to 
the  more  substantial  evidence  of  signs  and  lying  won- 
ders. And  how  much  of  such  faith  have  we  now  in 
Christendom  ?  Deism,  and  its  twofold  offspring,  skep- 
ticism and  indifferentism,  will  believe  in  Antichrist  for 
the  same  reason  that  they  reject  Christ ;  and  even  the 
atheist  will  become  a  worshiper  for  the  sake  of  consist- 


80  ANTICHRIST. 

ency.  "I  think  I  see,"  lie  adds,  "the  preparations 
already  too  forward  for  the  coming  of  the  wicked  one : 
would-  that  I  were  mistaken/'  When  we  see  what  ab- 
surdities obtain  currency  among  men,  what  superstitions 
are  embraced  by  them ;  what  blasphemous  pretensions, 
by  false  apostles  and  cunning  deceivers,  are  acknowl- 
edged by  multitudes ;  the  vagaries  of  Swedenborgian- 
ism,  the  fooleries  of  Shakerism,  the  licentiousness  of 
Mormonism,  and  the  occult  trickery,  or  something  worse, 
of  spiritual  rappings,  it  seems  as  if  Satan  has  been 
practicing  for  some  time  past  upon  the  credulity  of 
mankind,  to  prepare  them  gradually  for  that  last  grand 
delusion  which  he  intends  to  play  off  in  the  person  of 
the  Man  of  Sin  and  Son  of  Perdition,  who  shall  be  wor- 
shiped as  God.  The  delusions  of  the  day  are  but  the 
antecedents  and  foreshadowings  of  that  still  greater  one 
yet  to  come.  The  Father  of  Lies  seems  to  have-  opened 
a  new  school  of  deception  and  fraud,  and  has  already 
many  pupils  in  the  different  departments,  going  about 
by  cunning  craftiness,  whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  de- 
ceive; and  inducing  men  to  give  heed  to  seducing  spirits 
and  doctrines  of  devils,  or  doctrines  concerning  demons, 
or  departed  spirits.  If  ever  there  was  a  time  when 
Christians  needed  to  study  the  word  of  God,  and  fortify 
themselves  in  its  teachings,  it  is  at  this  present  day, 
when  the  attacks  upon  that  word  are  of  the  most  artful 
and  insidious,  and  therefore  dangerous  kind.  The  enemy 
has  changed  his  tactics,  and  instead  of  the  open  infidelity 
of  the  last  century,  like  that  enunciated  by  Voltaire  and 
others,  has  exerted  his  inventive  faculties  to  contrive 
new  systems,  professedly  derived  from  holy  Scripture, 


ANTICHKIST.  81 

but  really  most  hostile  to  it ;  and  has  infused  into  them 
some  of  those  elements  of  mysticism  and  mock  philan- 
thropy wLich  are  generally  very  taking  with  the  multi- 
tude. Under  the  name  of  Christian  and  religious  sects, 
doctrines  the  most  subversive  of  the  Christian  religion 
are  widely  circulated,  and  received  with  favor.  Whole 
denominations,  who  deny  the  Lord  that  bought  them, 
are  still  classed  among  Christ's  followers ;  and  such  is 
the  spirit  of  the  age — that  spirit  of  false  liberality  and 
indifference  to  truth — that  it  is  denounced  as  narrow- 
minded  bigotry  to  call  even  in  question  the  Christianity 
of  all  these  heresies  and  delusions.  This  is  the  state  at 
which  things  have  arrived,  and  how  favorable  to  a  still 
further  advance  in  error  and  superstition,  you  will  all 
form  your  own  judgment. 

Now  the  only  protection  against  the  great  delusion 
which,  according  to  the  word  of  Prophecy,  is  coming  on 
the  earth,  is,  first,  to  know  and  believe  that  it  is  com- 
ing ;  second,  to  understand  the  character  of  the  delu- 
sion ;  and  third,  to  have  our  minds  so  fortified  with 
Christian  doctrine,  and  to  be  so  rooted  and  grounded  in 
the  faith  of  the  gospel,  that  Satan,  with  all  his  powers 
of  delusion,  or  arts  of  magic,  shall  not  be  able  to  remove 
us  from  the  foundation  on  which  we  stand.  To  place 
you  on  this  strong  rock  of  security  and  defense  is  the 
great  work  and  effort  of  the  ministry  of  Christ,  and  the 
chief  object  we  have  in  view  in  the  publication  of  these 
discourses.  Being  forewarned,  may  you  be  forearmed ; 
and  if,  in  the  providence  of  G-od,  any  of  us  should  live 
to  see  that  "  time  of  tribulation  which  shall  come  to 

4* 


82  ANTICHRIST. 

try  all  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth,"  may  we  be 
enabled  to  pass  through  it  unscathed,  and  in  the  name 
and  faith  of  Christ  resist  the  Antichrist  until  he  shall 
be  destroyed  by  the  brightness  of  His  coming  and  the 
spirit  of  His  mouth. 


LECTURE    V. 

THE    TWO    WITNESSES. 

"  And  I  will  give  power  unto  my  two  witnesses,  and  they  shall  proph- 
esy a  thousand  two  hundred  and  three-score  days  clothed  in  sackcloth. 
These  are  the  two  olive  trees,  and  two  candlesticks  standing  before  the 
God  of  the  whole  earth,  and  if  man  will  hurt  them  fire  proceedeth  out  of 
their  mouth  and  devoureth  their  enemies,  and  if  any  man  will  hurt  them, 
he  must  in  this  manner  be  killed.  These  have  power  to  shut  heaven  that 
it  rain  not  in  the  days  of  their  prophecy,  and  have  power  over  waters  to 
turn  them  to  blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  all  plagues  as  often 
as  they  will ;  and  when  they  shall  have  finished  their  testimony,  the  beast 
that  ascendeth  out  of  the  bottomless  pit  shall  make  war  against  them  and 
overcome  and  kill  them,  and  their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  in  the  street  of  the 
great  city,  which  is  spiritually  called  Sodom  and  Egypt,  where  also  our 
Lord  was  crucified;  and  they  of  the  people,  and  kindred,  and  tongues,  and 
nations,  shall  see  their  dead  bodies  three  days  and  a  half,  and  shall  not  suf- 
fer them  to  be  put  in  graves,  and  they  that  dwell  upon  the  earth  shall  re- 
joice over  them  and  make  merry,  and  shall  send  gifts,  one  to  another, 
because  these  two  prophets  tormented  them  that  dwelt  on  the  earth.  And 
after  three  and  a  half  days  the  spirit  of  life  from  God  entered  into  them, 
and  they  stood  upon  their  feet,  and  great  fear  fell  upon  them  who  saw  them, 
and  they  heard  a  great  voice  from  heaven,  saying  unto  them,  Come  up 
hither,  and  they  ascended  up  to  heaven  in  a  cloud,  and  their  enemies  beheld 
them;  and  the  same  hour  there  was  a  great  earthquake  and  a  tenth  part  of  the 
city  fell,  and  in  the  earthquake  were  slain  of  men  seven  thousand,  and  the 
remnant  were  affrighted  and  gave  glory  to  the  God  of  heaven ;  and  the 
seventh  angel  sounded,  and  there  were  great  voices  in  heaven  saying,  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  His 
Christ,  and  He  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever." — REVELATIONS,  xi.  3-15. 

GREAT  and  marvelous  are  the  signs  and  wonders  which 
the  Most  High  hath  reserved  to  be  shown  to  the  chil- 


84  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

dren  of  men  when  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  shall  be  ful- 
filled, and  the  period  of  grace  and  favor  to  His  ancient 
covenant  people  shall  arrive.  To  those  who  maintain 
that  the  age  of  miracles  is  past  never  to  return,  we  have 
only  to  say,  unfulfilled  Prophecy  teaches  us  a  very  differ- 
ent doctrine.  It  points  to  events  yet  to  come,  which 
shall  not  only  equal,  but  far  exceed  any  which. belong  to 
the  past.  In  proof  of  this,  we  have  already  adduced 
three,  whose  coming  to  pass  shall  burst  with  astonishment 
upon  the  world  ;  viz.,  first,  the  restoration  and  con- 
version of  the  Jews  ;  second,  the  discovery  and  return  of 
the  lost  ten  tribes  ;  third,  the  rise  and  reign,  the  terri- 
ble career  and  end  of  Antichrist.  The  .chapter  from 
which  our  text  is  taken  presents  us  with  a  fourth  great 
and  marvelous  wonder  which  shall  also  take  place  before 
this  dispensation  shall  close  ;  viz.,  the  appearance  and 
ministry  of  the  TWO  WITNESSES,  endowed  with 
miraculous  powers,  whose  ministry  shall  continue  for  a 
brief  space,  when  they  shall  suffer  martyrdom,  and  short- 
ly afterward  be  caught  up  into  heaven.  This  last  sub- 
ject is  so  intimately  connected  with  all  the  preceding, 
(especially  with  the  last)  by  three  points  of  coincidence, 
viz.,  first,  time  ;  second,  place  ;  third,  simultaneous  ac- 
tion, that  it  is  necessary  to  consider  them  together. 

When  the  whole  house  of  Israel  shall  have  returned 
unto  the  land  of  their  fathers,  and  when  that  great  de- 
ceiver and  impostor  shall  arise  who  will  then  pretend 
to  be  their  long  expected  Messiah — that  ANTICHRIST 
who  will  support  his  pretensions  with  astonishing  signs 
and  wonders — it  seems  that  God  in  mercy  to  His  an- 
cient people  will  then  send  them  TWO  EXTRAORDINARY 


THE    TWO    WITNESSES.  85 

MESSENGERS,  to  warn  them  against  the  delusions  of  that 
impostor,  and  announce  to  them  the  speedy  second  ad- 
vent of  the  true  Messiah.  Each  of  these  events  there- 
fore, occurring  at  the  same  time,  viz.,  the  time  of  the 
end,  and  in  the  same  place,  viz.,  the  holy  city,  and  be- 
ing cotemporaneous  events,  require  to  be  treated  in 
close  succession,  inasmuch  as  they  throw  light  on  each 
other,  and  are  but  the  several  acts  of  the  last  scene  of 
this  expiring  dispensation. 

Before  we  attempt  to  designate  the  two  Witnesses  here 
spoken  of,  or  enter  upon  an  investigation  of  their  minis- 
try and  its  consequences,  let  us  fix  with  precision  and 
exactness  the  PLACE  WHERE  they  shall  appear  and  fulfill 
their  mission. 

In  the  first  verse  of  this  chapter,  the  Apostle  John  in- 
forms us  that  there  was  given  to  him  a  reed  like  a  rod, 
and  an  angel  stood,  saying,  "  Rise  and  measure  the  tem- 
ple of  God,  and  the  altar,  and  them  that  worship  there- 
in ;  but  the  court  which  is  without  the  temple,  leave 
out,  and  measure  it  not,  for  it  is  given  unto  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  the  holy  city  shall  they  tread  under  foot  for- 
ty and  two  months."  The  scene  of  these  transactions  is 
evidently  laid  in  the  Holy  Land.  No  city  in  the  world  is 
ever  called  by  the  sacred  writers  the  "  holy  city/'  but  the 
city  of  Jerusalem.  In  that  city  stood  a  temple,  called  the 
temple  of  God.  No  other  is  ever  called  such  by  the  sa- 
cred writers.  That  temple  had  an  altar,  and  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  court,  arid  this  was  called  the  court  of  the 
Gentiles,  or  the  place  in  which  those  not  circumcised, 
nor  ceremonially  clean,  might  worship  at  a  distance. 
The  measurement  of  this  temple  was  undoubtedly,  for 


86  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

its  rebuilding,  vide  Zechariah,  ii.  l-43  which  the  Jews, 
after  their  return  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  before  their 
acknowledgment  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  shall  undertake 
and  accomplish.  Now,  in  the  previous  discourse,  we 
showed  that  the  Man  of  Sin  and  Son  of  Perdition,  the 
last  Antichrist,  should  plant  the  tabernacles  of  his 
palaces  (according  to  the  Prophet  Daniel,  chapter  xi. 
46,)  between  the  seas,  in  the  glorious  holy  mountain, 
i.  e.j  Mount  Sion  ;  and  should  sit  in  the  temple  of  God, 
and  show  himself  to  be  God  (according  to  St.  Paul,  2 
Thessalonians,  ii.) 

But  there  is  now  no  temple  of  God  on  Mount  Sion  ;  it 
has  been  in  ruins  for  many  centuries,  and  its  site  is  now 
occupied  by  the  mosque  of  Ornar.  This  temple  must, 
therefore,  be  rebuilt  before  this  prophecy  can  be  fulfilled, 
and  here  is  the  order,  as  well  as  prediction,  for  its  re- 
building (Revelations,  chapter  xi.  1)  :  "  Rise  and  meas- 
ure the  temple  of  God,"  (i.  e.,  take  the  dimensions,  or 
make  the  plan  for  its  rebuilding,)  "  and  the  altar,  etc.  ; 
but  the  court  without  the  temple  leave  out,  for  it  is  giv- 
en to  the  Gentiles  ;  and  the  holy  city  "  (i.  e.,  Jerusalem,) 
"  shall  they  tread  under  foot  forty  and  two  months."  This 
shows  an  invasion  of  the  city  by  an  adverse  party,  called 
Gentiles  ;  the  invaded  and  oppressed  people  must  there- 
fore be  Jews,  residing  in  the  capital  of  their  native  land, 
here  called  "  the  holy  city,"  which  these  Gentiles  tread 
again  under  foot.  Is  it  not  evident,  therefore,  that  the 
scene  of  these  events  is  laid  in  Jerusalem,  that  city  of  so 
much  glory  and  shame,  of  such  magnificence  and  degra- 
dation, of  such  wonderful  past,  and  yet  more  wondrous 
future,  events  ? 


THE    TWO   WITNESSES.  87 

Whilst  this  is  taking  place,  the  astounding  events  of 
our  text  also  occur.  There  appear  two  messengers  from 
heaven,  to  protest  against  the  blasphemy  of  Antichrist, 
and  warn  them  against  his  delusion.  The  text  says,  "  I 
will  give  power  to  my  two  Witnesses,  and  they  shall 
prophesy  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  three-score  days, 
clothed  in  sackcloth." 

Scarcely  any  question  in  Prophecy  has  occasioned  more 
perplexity  to  commentators  than  this  :  Who  are  these 
two  Witnesses  ?  And  among  the  various  opinions  given, 
not  one  has  carried  with  it  the  general  conviction  of  its 
truth.  Almost  every  interpretation  is  open  to  some  ob- 
jection, in  consequence  of  which  doubt  hangs  over  it. 
Those  who  understand  the  Church  of  Home  to  be  the 
Man  of  Sin,  and  the  Beast  out  of  the  bottomless  pit, 
which  should  prevail  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years, 
and  then  decline  and  iall,  are  compelled  to  find  the  two 
Witnesses  whose  ministry  is  cotemporaneous  with  that 
of  the  Beast,  somewhere  in  the  past  history  of  the 
Church  ;  and,  accordingly,  some  have  supposed  that  the 
Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  who  were  massacred  in  the 
twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  in  such  numbers,  by  the 
Church  of  Rome,  for  their  noble  resistance  to  the  corrup 
tions  of  that  Church,  were  these  two  Witnesses.  But 
when  we  come  to  apply  the  tests  of  the  Prophecy  to 
them  they  fail  ;  i.  e.,  when  we  ask,  Did  the  Waldenses 
have  power  over  waters,  to  turn  them  to  blood,  or  to 
shut  up  heaven,  that  it  rain  not  in  the  days  of  their 
prophecy,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  plagues  as  often 
as  they  would  ?  they  can  not  inform  us  that  they  had, 
except  by  considering  such  language  as  a  highly  figura- 


88  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

• 

tive  description  of  merely  the  spiritual  influence  of 
their  prayers  to  bring  down  judgments  on  the  Pa- 
pacy. 

Or  if  we  ask,  how  did  the  dead  bodies  of  these  Wal- 
denses  lie  three  and  a  half  days  in  the  streets  of  the  city 
spiritually  called  Sodom  and  Egypt,  where  our  Lord 
was  crucified?  they  reply,  the  whole  Christian  Church 
is  figuratively  called  the  city  of  God,  and  the  valleys  of 
Piedmont  are  but  as  streets  of  that  city,  and  the  massa- 
cres which  there  took  place  were  their  dead  bodies  lying 
in  it,  and  the  glorious  reformation  from  Popery  in  the 
sixteenth  century  their  resurrection,  or  the  revival  of 
that  faith  for  which  they  contended.  We  shall  show 
the  utter  absurdity  of  such  an  interpretation  as  we  pro- 
ceed. Others  have  supposed  that  these  two  Witnesses 
are  the  Law  and  the  Gospel,  or  the  two  Testaments,  Old 
and  New,  personified,  and  that  as  these  were  generally 
ignored  during  the  dark  ages,  and  their  teaching  super- 
seded by  Papal  decrees,  they  are  represented  as  prophe- 
sying in  sackcloth,  as  slain  and  cast  out,  but  that  the 
Keformation  restored  them  to  their  place  in  the  Church, 
and  so  the  two  Witnesses  revived  and  ascended  up  to 
heaven,  the  Church  being  sometimes  called  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  The  incompatibility  of  this  interpretation 
with  the  Prophecy  will  also  be  shown  as  we  proceed. 
Some  have  conjectured  that  the  two  Sacraments,  Bap- 
tism and  the  Lord's  Supper,  were  the  two  Witnesses,  but 
this  is  liable  to  the  same  objection  as  the  others.  With- 
out attempting  to  mention  all  the  opinions  which  have 
been  given  on  this  point,  we  shall  now  proceed  to  ana- 
lyze the  language  of  our  text,  and  see  where  it  will  lead, 


THE    TWO   WITNESSES.  89 

and  to  what  result  a  simple  interpretation  of  it  in  the 
literal  seuse  will  bring  us. 

"  I  will  give  power  to  my  two  Witnesses/7  Who  is  the 
speaker  here  ?  Evidently  Christ.  This  book  is  called  in 
chapter  i.  verse  1,  "  the  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  which 
God  gave  to  Him  to  show  unto  His  servants  the  things 
which  must  shortly  come  to  pass  ;  and  He  sent  and  signi- 
fied it  by  His  angel  unto  His  servant  John."  These  are 
therefore  Christ's  two  Witnesses. 

Now  Christ  has  had  many  witnesses,  and  still  has  among 
men.  1.  All  the  Prophets  of  the  Old  Testament  were 
such  ;  they  foretold  His  coming,  and  showed  beforehand 
the  time,  place,  family,  and  circumstances  of  His  life  and 
death.  Hence  says  the  Apostle  Peter,  (Acts,  x.  43,)  "  to 
Him  give  all  the  prophets  witness."  2.  All  the  Apostles 
were  His  witnesses.  Saint  Luke  informs  us,  xxiv.  48, 
that  when  He  gave  them  their  commission  to  proclaim 
throughout  the  world  the  facts  of  His  life,  death,  resurrec- 
tion and  ascension,  He  added,  "ye  are  my  witnesses  of 
these  things."  So,  also,  every  minister  of  the  gospel  and 
every  private  Christian  who  has  tasted  His  grace,  is  a 
witness  for  Christ  to  testify  of  His  goodness  and  love. 

But  in  addition  to  all  these,  there  seem  to  be  Two 
others  who  stand  above  all  the  Prophets  and  Apostles, 
and  disciples  of  every  class,  who  have  borne  testimony 
for  Him  in  a  way  which  no  others  ever  have,  and  who 
shall  again  appear  to  render  Him  service  according  to  His 
will.  Who  are  these  ? 

The  Evangelists,  Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke,  declare 
that  when  our  Lord  took  Peter,  James  and  John  up  into 
a  high  mountain  and  was  transfigured  before  them,  there 


90  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

appeared  also  Moses  and  Ellas  in  glory,  who  talked  with 
Him  and  spake  of  His  decease  which  He  should  accom- 
plish at  Jerusalem.  These  two  eminent  servants  of  God 
were  dispatched  from  the  other  world  to  hear  testi- 
mony that  He  was  the  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
Therefore  they  have  been  witnesses  for  Him  in  a  more 
extraordinary  sense  than  any  other  persons  who  have 
ever  existed,  and  consequently  may  with  the  strictest 
propriety  be  called  by  Him  MY  TWO  WITNESSES. 

Let  us  now  proceed  with  the  Prophecy  to  see  whether 
such  an  identification  of  the  two  Witnesses  will  be  borne 
out  by  the  other  descriptions  of  them  which  follow.  In 
verse  4  it  is  said,  "  These  are  the  two  olive  trees  and  two 
candlesticks  standing  before  the  God  of  the  whole  earth." 
This  undoubtedly  refers  to  the  vision  which  the  Prophet 
Zechariah,  iv.  2-11,  had,  and  which  was  interpreted  to 
him  by  an  angel.  He  saw  a  candlestick  of  gold,  and  two 
olive  trees  by  it,  one  on  each  side,  and  the  angel  in  ex- 
plaining the  vision  to  him  says,  "  these  two  olive  trees 
were  the  two  anointed  ones  which  stand  before  the  God 
of  the  whole  earth,"  not  mentioning  who  they  were,  but 
simply  "  two  anointed  ones,"  set  apart  for  some  special 
mission,  and  at  that  time  standing  before  God,  i.  e.,  wait- 
ing in  readiness  to  fulfill  His  will ;  so  that  while  there  is 
an  evident  reference  in  this  prophecy  before  us  to  that 
of  Zechariah,  yet  inasmuch  as  the  two  anointed  ones  in 
that  Prophecy,  are  not  mentioned  by  name  we  can  only 
know  that  they  are  the  same  as  those  in  the  text,  who- 
ever they  may  be. 

Verse  5,  however,  begins  to  shed  a  little  more  light  on 
the  subject,  which  says,  "  If  any  man  will  hurt  them, 


THE   TWO   WITNESSES.  91 

fire  proceecleth  out  of  their  inouth  and  devoureth  their 
enemies,  and  if  any  man  will  hurt  them  he  must  in  this 
manner  be  killed/'  There  are  but  two  persons  men- 
tioned in  the  Scriptures  at  whose  word  fire  came  down 
from  heaven  and  consumed  their  enemies. 

1.  Moses,  who  denounced  the  judgment  of  God  upon 
Korahand  his  company,  who  rebelled  against  the  author- 
ity which  God  had  given  him  and  sought  to  overthrow 
it.     He  said,  Numbers,  xvi ,  "  Hereby  shall  ye  know  that 
the  Lord  hath  sent  me  to  do  all  these  things  ;  if  these 
men  die  the  common  death  of  all  men,  then  the  Lord 
hath  not  sent  me."     As  soon  as  he  had  made  an  end  of 
speaking,  there  came  a  fire  from  the  Lord  and  consumed 
the  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  that  offered  incense. 

2.  Elijah.     When  the  King  of  Israel  sent  a  captain 
with  fifty  men  to  bring  Elijah  to  him,  and  they  went  to 
the  top  of  a  hill  and  said,  "  Thou  man  of  God,  the  king 
hath  said  come  down/'  Elijah  answered,  "  If  I  be  a  man 
God,  let  fire  come  down  from  heaven  and  consume  thee 
and  thy  fifty,"  and  there  came  down  fire  from  heaven 
and  consumed  him  and  his  fifty,  and  this  was  repeated 
a  second  time.     Now  our  text  says  concerning  the  Two 
Witnesses,  "  If  any  man  will  hurt  them,  fire  proceed eth 
out  of  their  mouth  and  devoureth  their  enemies/'     This 
never  has  been  done  by  any  other  persons  except  Moses, 
when  Korah    and  his  company  would  injure  him,  and 
Elijah,  when  the  king  of  Israel  would  do  him  harm,  and 
this  naturally  directs  our  mind  to  them  as  the  persons 
intended  by  the  two  Witnesses.     "  If  any  man  hurt  them 
he  must  in  this  manner  be  killed/'  i.  e.}  (as  their  enemies 
were.) 


92  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

But  you  will  say,  this  does  not  prove  conclusively  that 
they  are  the  two  Witnesses,  for  although  this  has  never 
happened  to  any  but  them,  that  their  enemies  should  be 
destroyed  by  fire,  we  can  not  thence  infer  that  it  may  not 
happen  to  others  at  some  future  time.  This  is  true,  and 
therefore  we  proceed  to  the  next  mark  which  is  given  to 
describe  and  identify  them. 

In  verse  6  we  are  further  assured  that  "  these  have 
power  to  shut  heaven,  that  it  rain  not  in  the  days  of 
their  prophecy;  and  have  power  over  waters,  to  turn 
them  to  blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  plagues  as 
often  as  they  will."  Mark  the  expression,  these  have 
power,  present  tense,  not  shall  have,  future  :  they  are 
described  as  having  it  then  in  possession.  Now  who  of 
all  that  had  lived  when  the  Apostle  penned  this  proph- 
ecy had  possessed  and  exercised  these  powers  ?  Elijah 
had  prayed  that  it  might  not  rain,  and  it  rained  not  for 
the  space  of  three  years  and  six  months.  He  had  shut 
up  heaven.  Moses  had  threatened  and  executed  upon 
Pharaoh  the  judgment  of  turning  water  into  blood, 
because  he  would  not  let  the  people  of  Israel  go;  and  he 
had  smitten  the  earth  with  plagues,  or  rather  Egypt 
with  ten  plagues.  And  these  are  the  powers  which 
these  two  Witnesses  possess,  and  which  neither  sacred  or 
profane  history  informs  us  were  ever  possessed  by  any 
other  men. 

Now,  every  one  can  judge  for  themselves  whether  a  de- 
scription of  such  attributes  as  belong  to  no  other  persons 
is  sufficient  warrant  to  name  them,  although  in  the  Proph- 
ecy, they  be  not  called  by  name  ;  e.  g.,  suppose  the  Proph- 
ecy had  said  of  these  two  Witnesses,  these  are  they  who 


THE    TWO    WITNESSES.  93 

have  never  tasted  of  death,  would  we  not  be  justified  in 
saying  they  were  Enoch  and  Elijah  ?  for  these  are  the 
only  two  of  whom  Scripture  bears  testimony  that  they 
never  died.     From  this  remarkable  fact  many  have  sup- 
posed that  Enoch  and  Elijah  were  the  two  Witnesses, 
instead  of  Moses  and  Elias ;   and  that  they  were  ex- 
empted from  death  in  their  day  for  the  express  purpose 
of  being  reserved  as  God's  witnesses  in  the  end  of  this 
dispensation,  when  they  shall  be  brought  forth  and  be 
slain  by  the  last  Antichrist,  and  thus  undergo  at  last  the 
penalty  pronounced,  "  It  is  appointed  unto  all  men  ONCE 
to  die/'  etc.     But  for  this  opinion  there  seems  to  be  no 
express  warrant  in  Scripture  :  it  is  plausible,  but  unsup- 
ported by  the  law  and  the  testimony.     Enoch  did  not 
possess   (that   we   have   any  knowledge  of)  power   over 
waters  to  turn  them  to  blood,  or  power  to  smite  the 
earth  with  plagues,  or  power  to  destroy  his  enemies  by 
fire  ;  therefore  he  does  not  meet  the  qualification  of  the 
Witnesses  spoken  of  in  the  text,  who  are  said  to  possess 
these  powers.     Neither  was  Enoch  chosen  to  be  present 
at  the  transfiguration  of  Christ,  though  he  had  been 
exempted  from  death.   Moses  had  this  honor  above  him. 
There  is  one  singular  circumstance  with  regard  to  the 
death  of  Moses,  which  we  may  notice  in  this  place,  i.e., 
that  it  was  not  witnessed  by  any  one  :   the  place  of  his 
burial  is  unknown.     He  went  up  into  mount  Horeb  to 
die,  and  never  returned.     The  narrative  says,  the  Lord 
buried  him.     Many  of  the  Jews  have  supposed  that  the 
Lord  took  charge  of  his  body,  and  kept  it  in  a  state  of 
honorable  preservation,  so  that  it  did  not  undergo  the 
usual  process  of  corruption.     There  is  a  singular  passage 


94  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

in  tne  epistle  of  Jude  respecting  this,  which  has  very 
greatly  perplexed  commentators,  viz  ,  that  Michael,  the 
archangel,  when  contending  with  the  devil  about  the 
body  of  Moses,  durst  nut  bring  a  railing  accusation 
against  him.  but  only  said,  "  The  Lord  rebuke  thee." 
The  wonder  is,  what  the  strife  between  the  Prince  of 
Angels  and  the  Prince  of  Devils  could  be  about,  espe- 
cially in  relation  to  the  body  of  Moses  ;  and  it  has  been 
supposed  that  the  devil  claimed  that  the  body  of  Moses 
should,  like  the  bodies  of  all  others  who  have  sinned,  be 
committed  to  the  earth,  that  it  might  undergo  corrup- 
tion ;  for  perhaps  he  disbelieved  or  was  ignorant  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  resurrection  ;  but  that  Michael  disposed 
of  it  in  another  way,  and  that  it  has,  by  his  power,  ever 
since  continued  just  as  it  was  when  the  spirit  departed 
from  it,  or  has  since  been  reanimated,  and  is  now  with 
the  body  of  Elias ;  and  that  "  these  two  anointed  ones  are 
still  standing  before  the  God  of  the  whole  earth,"  waiting 
for  their  commission  to  go  and  prophesy  twelve  hundred 
and  sixty  days  in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  Certainly,  at  the 
transfiguration,  Moses  appeared  with  Elijah;  and,  if  Moses 
is  one  of  the  two  Witnesses,  shall  appear  again  with  him 
to  testify  against  the  Man  of  Sin,  and  prepare  the  world 
for  the  second  coming  of  the  Saviour. 

Almost  all  who  admit  that  these  two  Witnesses  are 
TWO  PERSONS,  admit  that  Elijah  shall  be  one  of  them. 
His  claim  to  this  honor  rests  upon  no  less  a  foundation 
than  a  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord."  The  last  verse  of  the 
Old  Testament,  the  farewell  declaration  of  God  to  the 
Jews,  is  this,  "  Behold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah  the  Pro- 
phet, before  the  coming  of  the  great  and  dreadful  day 


THE   TWO   WITNESSES.  95 

of  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers 
to  the  children,  and  the  hearts  of  the  children  to  the 
fathers,  lest  I  come  and  smite  the  earth  with  a  curse." 
From  this  passage  of  holy  Scripture  it  was,  that  the 
disciples  asked  our  Lord,  "  How  say  the  scribes  that 
Elias  must  first  come  ?"  Christ  replied,  "  Elias  truly 
cometh  first,  and  restoreth  all  things."  John  the  Bap- 
tist had  come  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elias  ;  but  when 
he  (i.  e.}  John  the  Baptist,)  was  asked  whether  he  was 
the  Christ,  he  said  no  ;  whether  he  was  Elias,  he  answer- 
ed, no ;  whether  that  Prophet  spoken  of  by  Moses, 
Deuteronomy,  xviii.  15,  he  again  replied,  no ;  and  when 
asked  who  he  was,  he  said,  "  I  am  the  voice  of  one  crying 
in  the  wilderness,  make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord," 
as  saith  the  Prophet  Esaias,  chapter  xl.  3.  Now  the 
Prophet  Malachi,  iv.  5,  to  which  John  did  not  refer, 
prophesied  of  Elijah's  coming  before  the  great  and 
dreadful  day  of  the  Lord,  but  the  Prophet  Esaias,  xl. 
3,  of  John  the  Baptist.  There  appears,  therefore,  to  be 
an  harbinger  of  the  second  coming  as  well  as  of  the  first 
spoken  of  in  Prophecy  ;  and  the  Prophecy  of  Malachi, 
which  foretells  the  Prophet  Elijah's  coming,  evidently 
refers  to  the  second  advent,  which  is  the  a  great  and 
dreadful  day  of  the  Lord,  when  He  will  come  in  flaming 
fire,  to  take  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God,  and 
obey  not  the  gospel  of  Christ."* 

*  Many  have  been  sadly  perplexed  with  the  seeming  contradiction  be- 
tween John  the  Baptist's  positive  denial  that  he  was  Elias,  John,  i.  21,  and 
our  Lord's  equally  positive  assertion  that  he  was,  Matthew,  xi.  14.  Certainly 
we  can  not  suppose  that  our  Lord  intended  to  assert  that  the  son  of  Zecha- 
rias  and  Elisabeth,  who  was  born  only  six  months  before  His  own  incarna- 
tion, was  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  who  was  carried  up  into  heaven  more  than 


96  THE    TWO   WITNESSES. 

But  some  one  will  inquire,  can  it  be  supposed  that  so 
great  a  wonder  as  this  will  ever  be  witnessed  on  this  earth, 
that  two  men,  who  have  been  so  long  separated  from  the 
living,  and  from  the  scenes  of  earth,  shall  again  mingle 
with  both  ?  We  answer,  this  is  not  more  incredible 
than  many  other  things  that  have  taken  place.  An 
angel  appeared  to  Lot,  to  warn  him  of  the  destruction 
of  Sodom,  that  he  might  make  his  escape,  and  why  should 
not  two  messengers  be  sent,  at  a  period  of  such  impend- 
ing judgments,  to  warn  the  Jews  of  the  coming  of  Him 
who  will  destroy  Antichrist  and  all  his  followers  with  an 
awful  overthrow?  Such  interpositions  of  Divine  mercy 
have  been  frequent,  as  the  history  of  the  Church  will 
show.  Is  it  more  incredible  that  Moses  and  Elias  should 
appear  just  before  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  to  bear 
witness  for  Him,  than  that  they  did  appear  at  His  first 
coming  on  the  mount  of  Transfiguration  ? 

But  it  is  asked,  why  Moses  and  Elias  particularly,  ra- 
ther than  any  other  two  then  living  ?    We  answer,  there 

seven  hundred  years  before.  What,  then,  was  his  meaning  ?  Was  it  not 
the  same  with  that  which  the  angel  declared  to  his  parents  before  his  birth, 
Luke,  i.  17,  "  he  shall  go  before  Him  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elias  ?"  If  so, 
then  the  question  arises,  Does  this  interpretation  so  exhaust  the  Prophecy 
of  Malachi,  (which  foretells  a  personal  coming  of  the  Prophet  Elijah,)  that  it 
was  entirely  fulfilled  in  John  the  Baptist's  ministry,  both  in  letter  and  spirit? 
or  that  it  was  fulfilled  only  in  spirit,  leaving  the  letter  to  be  realized  at  some 
future  period  ?  If  the  latter,  then  there  may  be  an  Elias  of  the  second 
coming,  the  veritable  Tishbite  himself,  and  there  is  no  contradiction  between 
the  declaration  of  our  Lord  and  that  of  His  forerunner. 

John's  referring  to  Isaiah's  prediction,  and  applying  it  (instead  of  Mal- 
achi's)  to  himself,  seems  also  to  show  that  he  understood  Isaiah's  man  to 
be  a  different  person  from  Malachi's,  acknowledging  that  he  was  the  former's, 
but  denying  that  he  was  the  latter's.  Thus  both  harmonize. 


THE    TWO   WITNESSES.  97 

never  were  two  prophets  who  enjoyed  so  great  a  reputa- 
tion among  the  children  of  Israel  as  these  two — Moses 
to  the  whole  nation,  and  Elijah  especially  to  the  ten 
tribes,  and  there  are  none  whose  witness  for  truth  and 
against  error  would  he  so  powerful  as  theirs.  They  know 
Christ,  (the  true  Messiah)  for  they  saw  Him  on  mount 
Tabor,  and  hence  know  the  MAN  of  SIN  to  be  Antichrist 
and  a  false  Messiah.  But  even  if  we  could  not  conceive 
of  any  special  reasons  why  they  should  be  appointed 
Christ's  witnesses  against  Antichrist,  and  be  the  harbin- 
gers of  His  second  advent,  yet  if  divine  wisdom  can  see 
a  sufficient  cause,  what  are  we,  that  we  should  reply 
against  God  ? 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  consider  the  ministry  of  these 
two  Witnesses,  its  duration, and  its  consequences  to  them. 
1.  They  shall  prophesy  a  thousand  two  hundred  and 
sixty  days,  clothed  in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  The  time 
which  is  mentioned  in  days  is  three  years  and  a  half, 
about  the  same  period  as  John  the  Baptist's  ministry, 
and  the  same  as  our  Lord's.  It  is  also  the  same  period 
as  Antichrist's  reign.  2.  They  shall  be  clothed  in  sack- 
cloth and  ashes,  to  denote  the  calamities  of  the  times, 
and  their  deep  affliction  at  the  abounding  wickedness. 
John  the  Baptist  was  clothed  in  camel's  hair  and  had  a 
leathern  girdle,  and  his  meat  was  locusts  and  wild  honey. 
He  had  to  contend  against  the  false  teaching  of  the  scribes 
and  doctors  of  the  law,  and  the  hypocrisy  of  the  Phari- 
sees, and  finally  fell  a  victim  to  his  faithfulness  in  pro- 
testing against  sin  in  high  places.  Moses  and  Elias  will 
encounter  a  delusion  greater  than  any  that  has  ever  yet 
appeared,  viz.,  the  artful  pretension  of  an  impostor  and  a 

5 


98  THE    TWO   WITNESSES. 

pretender  to  be  the  true  Messiah,  supported  by  signs  and 
lying  wonders.  It  appears  that  the  two  Witnesses,  to 
prove  their  divine  mission,  will  work  some  miracles,  when 
Antichrist,  to  meet  them  on  their  own  ground,  will  do  the 
same.  If  they  make  fire  to  come  down  from  heaven,  he 
will  do  the  same.  This  is  an  old  device  of  Satan,  viz., 
to  counterfeit  miracles. 

When  Moses  first  went  in  unto  Pharaoh  and  showed 
the  signs  of  his  authority,  the  magicians  (for  a  time) 
counterfeited  them  with  their  enchantments,  but  finally 
relinquished  the  contest  and  acknowledged  it  was  the 
finger  of  God.  So  Antichrist,  full  of  the  power  of  Satan, 
will  dispute  the  ground  step  by  step  with  these  two 
Witnesses.  If  they  make  fire  to  come  down  from  heaven, 
he  will  do  the  same.  Vide  Revelations,  xiii.  14.  If  they 
at  last  do  something  which  he  can  not  imitate,  he  will 
employ  a  new  argument  against  them,  the  ultima  ratio 
regum,  the  sword.  So  says  the  Prophecy,  "  the  Beast 
that  ascendeth  out  of  the  bottomless  pit  shall  make  war 
against  them,  and  shall  overcome  them  and  kill  them." 
Pharaoh  sought  to  do  this  to  Moses,  and  Ahab  to  Elijah, 
but  they  escaped  that  time,  only,  it  would  seem,  to  fall 
at  a  future  period  by  the  hand  of  a  more  terrible  foe. 
While  Herod  slew  John  the  Baptist,  and  Pilate  Christ. 

The  martyrdom  of  these  two  Witnesses  shall  take 
place  in  that  city  whose  streets  have  been  stained  by 
the  blood  of  martyrs  for  many  ages,  and  of  which  Christ 
said,  "  0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  which  killest  the  prophets 
and  stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto  thee/'  When  slain, 
we  are  informed,  verse  8,  their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  in 
the  street  of  the  great  city,  which  spiritually  is  called 


THE   TWO   WITNESSES.  99 

SODOM  and  EGYPT,  ivhere  ako  our  Lord  ivas  cruci- 
fied. We  certajnly  can  be  at  no  loss  now  to  determine 
what  place  this  is.  In  Isaiah,  i.,  the  prophet  says,  speak- 
ing of  Jerusalem,  "  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  ye  rulers  of 
SODOM,  and  give  ear,  ye  people  of  GOMORRAH."  Because 
of  the  wickedness  which  prevailed  in  that  city,  he  gives  it, 
by  the  Spirit,  the  name  of  the  worst  city  that  ever  existed, 
viz.,  Sodom  ;  nnd  there  are  several  allusions  to  its  Egyp- 
tian characteristics  in  the  prophets.  But  lest  this  de- 
scription might  not  be  a  sufficient  guide  to  the  place  of 
their  martyrdom,  he  adds  another  which  can  not  fail  to 
identify  it,  viz.,  "  the  place  where  also  our  Lord  was  cru- 
cified." Can  any  thing  be  more  explicit  than  this  ?  Not 
even  the  word  Jerusalem  would  be  more  definite.  That, 
city  from  whence  He  was  led  out  to  be  crucified,  which 
all  the  world  knows  to  be  Jerusalem,  must  have  equaled 
Sodom  and  Egypt  in  their  worst  days,  to  have  committed 
such  a  crime  as  this.  Here,  where  so  many  faithful  wit- 
nesses have  lost  their  lives,  it  appears  that  Moses  and 
Elias.  the  two  most  important  witnesses  of  Christ,  will 
also  seal  their  testimony  with  their  blood. 

But  their  death  does  not  satisfy  the  rage  of  Antichrist ; 
he  determines  to  further  gratify  his  revenge  by  showing 
the  greatest  indignity  to  their  remains,  and  therefore  re- 
fuses them  burial,  so  that  "  their  dead  bodies  lie  three 
days  and  a  half  in  the  street,"  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  all 
the  passers  by.  Antichrist  rejoices  that  he  has  van- 
quished those  who  did  most  to  shake  confidence  in  his 
pretensions,  and  perhaps  leaves  their  bodies  exposed, 
that  all  seeing  them  maybe  warned  of  the  consequences 
of  opposing  him.  And  what  is  the  effect  produced  ? 


100  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

We  are  informed  in  verse  9  :  "  they  of  the  people,  and 
kindred,  and  tongues,  and  nations,  shall  see  their  dead 
bodies  three  days  and  a  half,  and  shall  not  suffer  them 
to  be  put  in  graves."  The  adherents  of  the  Man  of  Sin 
shall  unite  with  him  in  dishonoring  their  remains  ;  and 
verse  10  adds,  "  they  that  dwell  upon  the  earth,  i.  e.,  those 
outside  of  the  Holy  Land,  shall  rejoice  over  them,  and 
make  merry,  and  send  gifts  to  one  another  ;"  why  ?  The 
reason  is  given  :  "  because  these  two  PROPHETS  tor- 
mented them  that  dwelt  on  the  earth."  As  a  judgment  for 
their  wickedness,  in  embracing  the  awful  blasphemies 
of  Antichrist,  perhaps  Elijah  shut  up  heaven  for  three 
years  and  a  half,  as  he  did  in  the  days  of  Ahab,  or  Moses 
turned  water  into  blood,  (vide  Revelations,  xvi.  4,)  as  he 
did  unto  Pharaoh,  or  both  brought  fire  down  from  heaven 
to  destroy  those  who  would  do  them  harm  ;  and  now, 
having  fallen  under  the  blow  of  Antichrist,  (for  those 
who  can  do  all  the  greatest  miracles  may  yet  be  them- 
selves killed,  as  we  see  in  the  case  of  our  Lord  and 
His  apostles,)  having  been  themselves  slain,  those 
whom  they  tormented  rejoice  together,  as  though  the 
day  of  their  suffering  would  be  at  an  end.  Alas  ! 
how  mistaken  are  their  hopes,  how  short-lived  their 
triumph. 

Notice  the  reason  they  give  for  their  joy,  "  Because 
these  two  PROPHETS  tormented  them."  THESE  TWO 
PROPHETS,  Moses  and  Elias,  were  prophets  of  the  first 
class.  Now,  the  word  PROPHET  is  never,  in  holy 
Scripture,  applied  to  an  impersonal  object.  It  never 
means  a  system  of  doctrine,  or  a  collective  body,  but 
always  A  MAN  commissioned  of  God  to  teach  and  de- 


THE   TWO   WITNESSES.  101 

clare  His  will.  Does  not  this  show  that  the  two  Testa- 
ments, or  the  two  Sacraments,  or  the  Waldenses  and 
Albigenses,  and  all  that  class  of  expositions  which  re- 
gard the  term  Prophet  as  a  figure  of  speech,  are  er- 
roneous ?  and  that  we  must  understand  by  the  two 
Witnesses  Lore  called  PROPHETS,  two  MEN,  endued 
with  the  powers  and  attributes  of  men,  though  extraor- 
dinarily endowed,  as  Moses  and  Elias  were. 

But  how  short-lived  will  be  the  triumph  of  their  ene- 
mies. In  verse  11  we  read,  "  after  three  days  and  a  half 
the  spirit  of  life  from  God  entered  into  them,  and  they 
stood  upon  their  feet,  and  great  fear  fell  on  them  which 
saw  them." 

It  will  not,  we  trust,  be  considered  irreverent  to 
compare  this  scene  to  that  which  took  place  in  Jeru- 
salem eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  when  He  who  was 
crucified,  dead  and  buried,  to  the  joy  of  His  enemies, 
rose  again  on  the  third  day,  to  their  dismay,  and  as- 
cended up  to  heaven.  The  two  Witnesses  seem  called 
to  follow  closely  in  the  steps  of  their  Divine  Master.  But 
scarcely  have  they  ascended  to  heaven,  than  a  calam- 
ity greater  than  that  which  their  enemies  supposed  they 
had  escaped  by  their  death  comes  upon  them,  verse  13  : 
"  The  same  hour  there  was  a  great  earthquake  ;  the  tenth 
part  of  the  city  fell,  and  in  the  earthquake  were  slain 
seven  thousand  men,  and  the  remnant  gave  glory  to  the 
God  of  heaven."  Much  light  is  thrown  on  this  passage 
by  Zechariah,  xiv.,  in  which  the  Lord  says  by  the 
prophet,  "I  will  gather  all  nations  against  Jerusalem 
to  battle,  and  the  city  shall  be  taken,  and  houses  rifled, 
etc.,  and  the  Lord  shall  go  forth  and  fight  against  those 


102  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

nations,  as  when  He  fought  in  the  day  of  battle,  and  His 
feet  shall  stand  that  day  on  the  mount  of  Olives,  which 
is  before  Jerusalem  on  the  east  ;  and  the  mount  of 
Olives  shall  cleave  in  the  midst  thereof,  toward  the 
east  and  toward  the  west,  and  ye  shall  flee  to  the  valley 
of  the  mountains,  like  as  ye  fled  from  before  the  earth- 
quake in  the  days  of  Uzziah,  king  of  Judah,  and  the 
Lord  my  God  shall  come,  and  all  the  saints  with  thee." 
Now,  this  gathering  of  all  the  nations  together  at 
Jerusalem,  which  the  Prophet  Zechariah  foretells,  chap- 
ter xiv.,  explains  where  all  those  people,  and  kindred, 
and  tribes,  and  tongues  shall  come  from,  who  shall  see 
the  dead  bodies  of  the  two  Witnesses,  which  lie  three 
and  a  half  days  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem.  The  earth- 
quake which  the  Prophet  Zechariah  speaks  of  is  the  same 
which  the  Apostle  John,  in  verse  13,  describes,  in  which 
seven  thousand  are  slain,  and  to  show  further  that  both 
refer  to  the  same  time,  as  well  as  the  same  events  and  the 
same  place,  notice  what  immediately  follows  the  text,  v. 
15,  says:  "After  the  earthquake,  the  seventh  angel  sound- 
ed, and  there  were  great  voices  in  heaven  saying,  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our 
Lord  and  of  His  Christ,  and  He  shall  reign  for  ever  and 
ever."  The  Prophet  Zechariah  says,  "  the  Lord  my  God 
shall  come,  and  all  the  saints  with  Him."  Does  not  this 
clearly  show  that  this  whole  Prophecy  of  St.  John,  in 
Kevelations,  xi.,  is  not  a  fulfilled  Prophecy,  but  evidently 
belongs  to  the  time  of  the  end,  the  close  of  this  dispensa- 
tion, and  that  the  two  Witnesses  have  never  yet  appeared? 
that  the  three  years  and  a  half  in  which  they  shall  proph- 
esy in  sackcloth  and  ashes  is  yet  future?  and  consequently 


THE   TWO   WITNESSES.  103 

that  all  the  interpretations  which  ingenious  spiritualizers 
have  put  upon  this  Prophecy  are  erroneous  and  false;  for 
no  sooner  does  the  earthquake  take  place,  which  follows 
the  ascension  of  the  two  Witnesses  to  heaven,  than  Christ's 
kingdom  is  established,  and  his  reign  commences,  vide 
verses  14,  15,  and  as  this  is  unquestionably  future,  the 
events  so  closely  connected  with  it  must  be  future  also. 

We  have  next  shown,  in  verse  16,  the  joy  on  high 
which  follows  this  event.  The  four  and  twenty  elders 
which  sat  before  God,  fell  on  their  faces,  and  worshiped 
God,  saying,  "  We  give  thee  thanks,  0  Lord  God  Al- 
mighty, which  art,  and  wast,  and  art  to  come,  because 
thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy  great  power  and  hast  reigned; 
and  the  nations  were  angry,  and  thy  wrath  has  come,  and 
the  time  of  the  dead,  that  they  should  be  judged,  and 
that  thou  shouldst  give  reward  unto  thy  servants  the 
prophets,  and  to  the  saints,  and  to  them  that  fear  thy 
name,  both  small  and  great,  and  shouldst  destroy  them 
which  destroy  the  earth."  That  these  events  have  not  yet 
taken  place  it  is  unnecessary  to  assert ;  all  know  they 
have  not.  i 

Engaged  as  we  are  in  a  series  of  discourses  on  the  sub- 
ject of  unfulfilled  Prophecy,  we  have  now  presented  to 
your  minds  four  great  and  important  events  which  the 
prophets  have  foretold,  and  which  we  maintain  have 
never  yet  been  fulfilled,  viz.  :  1.  The  restoration  and 
conversion  of  the  Jews  ;  2.  The  discovery  and  return  of 
the  ten  tribes  ;  3.  The  rise  and  reign  of  Antichrist ;  and 
4.  The  appearance,  ministry,  and  martyrdom  of  the  two 
Witnesses. 

In  interpreting  Prophecies  not  yet  fulfilled,  we  pursue 


104  THE  TWO   WITNESSES. 

the  same  course  as  we  do  in  those  which  are  fulfilled, 
viz.,  interpret  the  language  in  its  plainest  and  most 
natural  signification,  adhering  to  the  same  meaning  of 
words  which  was  in  use  when  the  Prophecies  were  written; 
e.  g.y  the  expression  "  holy  city"  means  the  same  now  as 
it  did  when  the  Apostles  lived,  viz.,  the  city  of  Jerusalem; 
the  term  prophet  means  still  what  it  always  meant  when 
it  was  used  by  the  sacred  writers,  viz.,  an  individual  com- 
missioned of  God  to  declare  His  will,  etc.  Some  seem  to 
have  an  instinctive  dread  of  interpreting  Prophecy  in 
such  a  manner  that  any  of  it  shall  appear  to  be  future, 
and  especially  that  it  should  involve  events  miraculous 
or  even  marvelous  in  their  nature,  and  hence  they  resort 
to  a  system  of  figurative  interpretation,  called  spiritual- 
izing, by  which  they  set  forth  an  entirely  different  class 
of  events  from  that  which  the  plain  language  of  the 
Prophecy  would  seem  to  justify.  They  interpret  Prophecy 
as  they  would  parables,  and  satisfy  themselves  with  re- 
mote resemblances  instead  of  exact  realities.  It  is  easy 
to  see  how  such  a  system  of  interpretation  may  introduce 
uncertainty  and  doubt  in  this  important  department  of 
sacred  exegesis,  and  such  are  the  fruits  it  has  continu- 
ally produced,  as  is  evident  from  the  many  and  different 
figurative  expositions  which  have  been  given  of  this  very 
Prophecy  of  the  two  Witnesses. 

There  is  no  end  to  the  fancies  and  conjectures  of  men; 
and  if  interpreters  of  the  word  of  God  are  not  bound 
down  by  some  more  rigid  rules  of  interpretation  than 
those  which  a  luxuriant  imagination  imposes,  there  will 
be  no  limit  to  prophetical  theories.  The  vagaries  of 
Swedenborg  show  what  is  the  consequence  of  depart- 


THE   TWO   WITNESSES.  105 

ing  from  the  plain  meaning  of  language.  Now  it  is 
undoubtedly  true  that  the  plain  and  simple  meaning  of 
the  language  of  Prophecy  may  often  force  us  to  confess 
that  such  a  thing  as  the  prophet  speaks  of,  has  never 
yet  taken  place  on  earth,  and  that  when  it  does  it  will 
be  marvelous  even  to  miraculous.  But  what  then  ? 
Can  any  events  yet  to  come  be  more  marvelous  than 
those  which  were  once  foretold,  and  have  already  taken 
place  ?  The  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  was  long  pre- 
dicted, and  at  length  took  place.  Was  ever  a  greater 
wonder  on  earth  than  this  ?  Now  the  Jews  reject  this 
great  mystery  of  godliness,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  so 
plainly  foretold  by  the  prophets,  for  the  same  reason 
that  many  Christians  reject  a  literal  interpretation  of  the 
two  Witnesses,  viz.,  because  of  the  marvelous  character 
of  the  event.  When  the  Prophet  Isaiah  says,  "  To  us  a 
child  is  born,  to  us  a  son  is  given  ;  and  his  name  shall 
be  called  Wonderful,  Counselor,  the  Mighty  God,  the 
Everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace,"  and  we  point 
to  Jesus'  birth  as  its  fulfillment ;  and  also  to  that  other 
prediction :  "  A  Virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a  son,  and 
thou  shalt  call  his  name  Immanuel,  which,  being  inter- 
preted, is,  God  with  us  ;"  the  Jews  reply,  that  can  not 
be  the  meaning  of  the  prophet ;  for,  for  a  Virgin  to  con- 
ceive, and  for  God  to  be  united  to  man,  is  an  absurdity, 
a  thing  contrary  to  nature,  a  wonder  too  great  for  belief; 
and  hence  they  depart  from  the  plain  meaning  of  the 
language,  and  seek  for  some  hidden  or  figurative  sense. 
The  same  disposition  is  often  manifested  among  Chris- 
tians when  the  literal  interpretation  of  a  Prophecy 
involves  miraculous  events.  Now,  it  is  a  fact  that 


106  THE   TWO   WITNESSES. 

nearly  all  those  Prophecies  which  cluster  around  the 
two  advents  of  Christ  partake  more  or  less  of  the  marvel- 
ous; and  this  is  especially  true  of  those  which  belong  to 
the  second  advent.  Not  only  does  the  event  itself,  but 
also  its  antecedents  and  consequents,  pass  the  region  of 
ordinary,  and  belong  to  extraordinary  events;  and  there- 
fore when,  just  before  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord, 
we  present  you  with  two  of  the  most  distinguished 
Prophets  of  the  Old  Testament,  reappearing  on  the 
stage  of  action,  and  serving  their  Lord  in  a  new  capac- 
ity, (not  so  pleasant,  indeed,  as  at  the  first  advent,  in  the 
transfiguration,  but  quite  as  important,)  be  not  incred- 
ulous, as  though  such  a  thing  could  not  be,  but  only 
ask  what  is  the  plain  meaning  of  the  Prophecy,  and  be 
assured  that  that  shall  stand  though  heaven  and  earth 
pass  away. 

And  if  any  of  us  should  ever  live  to  see  the  day  when 
the  conflict  shall  take  place  between  Moses  and  Eiias 
and  the  Man  of  Sin,  who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself 
above  all  that  is  called  God,  and  that  is  worshiped,  the 
last  Antichrist  who  shall  pretend  to  be  the  Messiah  the 
Jews  have  so  long  looked  for,  but  whose  pretensions 
these  two  Witnesses  will  opposs  even  unto  death,  may 
we  not  be  among  the  number  of  those  who  shall  re- 
joice at  their  death,  but  of  those  who  shall  not  worship 
the  Beast  nor  his  image,  nor  be  moved  by  his  signs  and 
lying  wonders,  but,  armed  with  the  word  of  God,  know 
how  to  resist  him,  and  maintain  our  confidence  in  the 
Messiah,  already  come,  and  then  soon  again  to  appear, 
firm  unto  the  end;  and  then  shall  we  experience  the 
truth  of  the  promise,  "  Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word 


THE   TWO   WITNESSES.  107 

of  my  patience  I  will  also  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of 
temptation  which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world  to 
try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth"  (Revelations,  iii. 
10.)  Divine  Intercessor,  pray  for  rjs,  that  our  faith 
fail  not ! 


LECTURE    VI. 

OVERTHROW   OF   ROMANISM   AND   MOHAMMEDANISM. 

"  After  this  I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and  behold  a  fourth  Boast, 
dreadful,  and  terrible,  and  strong  exceedingly,  and  it  had  great  iron  teeth  : 
it  devoured  and  brake  in  pieces,  and  stamped  the  residue  with  the  feet  of 
it,  and  it  was  diverse  from  all  the  beasts  before  it,  and  it  had  ten  horns.  I 
considered  the  horns,  and  behold  there  came  up  among  them  another  little 
horn,  before  whom  three  of  the  first  horns  were  plucked  up  by  the  roots, 
and  behold  in  this  horn  were  eyes  like  the  eyes  of  man,  and  a  mouth 
speaking  great  things." — DANIEL,  vii.  7,  8. 

"  Therefore  the  he  goat  waxed  very  great,  and  when  he  was  strong  the 
great  hon.  was  broken,  and  for  it  came  up  four  notable  ones  towards  the 
four  winds  of  heaven,  and  out  of  one  of  them  came  forth  a  little  horn, 
which  waxed  exceedingly  great,  towards  the  south,  towards  the  east,  and 
towards  the  pleasant  land." — DANIEL,  viii.  8,  9. 

THERE  are  two  mysteries  which  have  been  working  in 
the  earth  ever  since  the  advent  of  the  Saviour,  and  si- 
lently exerting  an  influence  over  the  miuds  of  multi- 
tudes of  men.  These  are  the  MYSTERY  of  godliness,  and 
the  MYSTERY  of  iniquity.  The  same  apostle  who  de- 
clares in  one  epistle,  1  Timothy,  iii.  16,  "  Great  is  the 
mystery  of  godliness,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified 
in  the  spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  to  the  Gentiles, 
believed  on  in  the  world,  received  up  to  glory/'  says  in 
another  epistle,  1  Thessalonians,  ii.  7,  9,  "For  the  mys- 
tery of  iniquity  doth  already  work,"  and  then  proceeds 
to  show  what  it  would  do  in  future  times,  when  it  would 
become  more  perfectly  organized,  viz.,  delude  "  with  all 


ROMANISM   AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  109 

power  and  signs  and  lying  wonders,  and  with  all  deceiva- 
bleness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that  perish." 

It  would  be  a  task  far  exceeding  the  limits  of  an  or- 
dinary discourse  to  trace  the  operations  and  workings  of 
these  two  mysteries  for  twelve  centuries  past ;  it  would 
be  to  recite  the  conflicts  of  the  Church  and  the  world, 
the  kingdom  of  darkness  and  the  kingdom  of  light, 
whose  antagonistic'  struggles  have  filled  the  pages  of 
history  with  details,  on  one  side,  of  persecution  and  op- 
pression, and  on  the  other,  of  mourning,  lamentation 
and  woe  !  And  yet  unpleasant  as  is  the  view,  we  ought 
not  to  overlook  those  forms  which  the  "  mystery  of 
iniquity"  has  put  on  to  carry  out  its  opposition  to  the 
"  mystery  of  godliness,"  especially  as  they  have  been  por- 
trayed, first,  in  the  writings  of  the  prophets,  and  next 
worked  out  in  the  events  of  time,  and  lastly,  photo- 
graphed in  the  pages  of  history. 

While  it  is  our  duty  to  contemplate  the  mystery  of 
godliness  in  all  its  unfoldings  in  the  Church,  it  is  equally 
our  duty  to  scrutinize  the  mystery  of  iniquity  in  its  de- 
velopments in  the  world.  We  propose  to  place  before 
you  some  of  the  workings  of  the  "  mystery  of  iniquity"  as 
they  have  developed  themselves  in  ages  past  and  still 
continue  to  operate  in  hostility  to  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
Those  which  more  strikingly  than  any  others  show  forth 
that  mystery  of  iniquity  of  which  the  apostle  spoke,  are 
Romanism  and  Mohammedanism,  two  powers  whose 
cotemporaneous  rise,  and  reign,  and  oppressive  rule  for 
more  than  a  thousand  years,  form  no  inconsiderable 
part  of  the  antagonism  which  the  "mystery  of  god- 
liness" has  encountered  in  its  endeavors  to  disseminate 


110  OVERTHROW   OF    ROMANISM 

the  Scriptures  of  truth,  unfold  the  gospel  of  Christ  and 
promote  the  happiness  of  mankind.  To  bring  this  sub- 
ject properly  before  you,  we  have  selected  two  passages 
of  Scripture  in  which  the  rise  of  these  two  powers  is  fore- 
told. We  shall  therefore  show 

1.  That  these  passages  have  reference  to  these  two 
powers. 

2.  Point  out  the  remarkable  analogy  between  them  as 
developments  of  that  grand  scheme  of  Satan,  viz,  the 
setting  up  of  a  mystery  of  iniquity  against  a  mystery  of 
godliness. 

3.  Show  what  is  their  doom,  and  what  in  them  yet 
remains  to  be  accomplished. 

In  chapter  vii.  of  Daniel's  Prophecy,  he  informs  us 
lie  had  a  vision.  He  saw  four  Beasts  come  up  out  of 
the  sea ;  the  first  like  a  lion,  the  second  like  a  bear, 
the  third  like  a  leopard,  and  the  fourth  a  nondescript, 
dreadful  and  terrible,  and  strong  exceedingly,  and  it  had 
great  iron  teeth  diverse  from  all  the  others,  and  it  de- 
voured and  brake  in  pieces  and  stamped  the  residue  with 
the  feet  of  it ;  and  it  had  ten  horns.  These  four  Beasts 
are  universally  admitted  to  be  the  four  universal  mon- 
archies which  have  successively  borne  rule  over  the  earth, 
viz.,  the  Babylonian,  Medo -Persian,  Grecian  and  Ko- 
man.  The  last  having  been  divided  into  ten  kingdoms, 
is  prefigured  by  the  ten  horns  which  the  fourth  Beast 
had.  All  readers  of  history  know  that  at  the  irruption 
of  the  northern  barbarians  in  the  fifth  century,  the  west- 
ern half  of  the  Eoman  empire  was  broken  up  into  sev- 
eral kingdoms,  which  were  formed  out  of  it,  several  of 
which  continue  to  the  present  day.  These  kingdoms 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  Ill 

were  Britain,  France,  Spain,  Portugal,  Austria,  Naples, 
Tuscany,  Home,  Eavenna,  and  Lombardy.*  Among 
these  ten  horns  or  kingdoms,  he  saw  a  little  horn  arise 
which  had  eyes  like  the  eyes  of  a  man,  i.  e.,  a  symbol  of 
spiritual  authority,  and  a  mouth  speaking  great  things, 
i.  e.}  a  pretender  to  rights  and  privileges  which  did 
not  belong  to  him.  This  is  generally  understood  to 
be  the  Papacy,  which  about  this  time  began  to  assert 
those  claims  to  spiritual  supremacy  and  even  temporal 
dominion  which  it  has  never  since  relinquished.  This 
little  horn  plucked  up  three  others  b}r  the  roots.  These 
were  Ravenna,  Lombardy  and  Home. 

Leo  Isaurus,  who  ruled  in  Eavema,  being  excommu- 
nicated by  the  Pope  because  he  opposed  his  decree  in 
favor  of  the  worship  of  images  and  invocation  of  the 
dead,  Aistulphus,  king  of  the  Lombards,  seized  upon 
his  territory,  and  thought  to  make  himself  master  of  all 
Italy,  upon  which  the  Pope  (Stephen  III.)  applied  to 
Pepin,  king  of  France,  for  assistance.  Pepin  recovered 
Eavenna  from  the  Lombards,  and  instead  of  restoring  it 
to  its  rightful  owners,  gave  it,  at  the  Pope's  solicitation, 
to  "  St.  Peter  and  his  successors  for  ever."  This  was  the 
first  of  the  three  kingdoms  which  fell  before  the  little 
horn,  A.  D.  755. 

The  kingdom  of  Lombardy  was  often  troublesome  to  the 
Popes.  At  length  Pope  Adrian  I.  sent  to  Charlemagne, 
the  son  and  successor  of  Pepin,  to  come  to  his  assistance 
against  the  Lombards,  who  had  invaded  his  territory. 

*  As  there  have  been  differences  of  opinion  among  the  learned  what 
European  powers  constitute  the  ten  kingdoms,  we  have  adopted  the  classi- 
fication of  Irving. 


112  OVERTHROW   OF   ROMANISM 

He  accordingly  came,  and  having  subdued  the  Lom- 
bards, put  an  end  to  their  kingdom,  and  gave  part  of 
their  dominions  to  the  Pope  and  his  successors  ;  and  the 
tables  containing  this  grant  were  laid  on  the  altar  of  St. 
'Peter.  This  took  place  A.  D.  774.  This  was  the  sec- 
ond kingdom  plucked  up  by  the  roots  by  the  little  horn. 
The  State  of  Eome  itself,  however,  was  still  governed 
by  a  senate  and  the  people,  who  elected  the  western 
emperors,  and  even  the  Pope  himself.  To  obtain  this 
State  was  now  the  ambition  of  the  Pope.  Accordingly, 
after  many  intrigues  and  wars,  which  our  time  will  not 
permit  us  to  mention,  Charlemagne  gave  the  Pope  the 
Duchy  of  Rome,  subject,  however,  to  himself  as  emp- 
eror of  the  West,  while  his  successor,  the  first  Louis 
of  France,  confirmed  to  the  succeeding  Pope,  Pascal,  all 
the  former  donations  of  his  father,  Charlemagne,  and 
grandfather,  Pepin.  In  this  grant  of  Louis  are  men- 
tioned the  Duchy  of  Rome,  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna, 
and  the  Kingdom  of  Lombardy,  all  which  were  granted 
"  as  the  patrimony  of  St.  Peter  to  the  Pope  and  his  suc- 
cestors  to  the  end  of  the  world,  to  hold  them  in  their 
own  right,  principality  and  dominion."  This  took  place 
about  A.  D.  800.*  Thus  did  the  little  horn,  or  the 
Papacy,  pluck  up  the  three  horns,  and  on  this  account, 
and  to  this  day,  the  Pope,  the  King  of  Rome  and  the 
Sovereign  of  the  States  of  the  Church,  wears  his  triple 

*  The  spiritual  supremacy  of  the  Pope  being  first  confirmed  about 
the  year  606,  several  commentators,  reckoning  the  twelve  hundred  and 
sixty  years  of  its  'continuance  from  this  period,  have  concluded  that  its 
termination  will  occur  in  the  year  1866.  "We  shall  soon  know  how 
rate  such  a  conclusion  is. 


AND  MOHAMMEDANISM.  113 

crown  on  state  occasions,  as  if  to  preserve  the  mem- 
ory of  this  event,  and  to  hold  up  before  the  world, 
and  on  his  head,  the  proof  that  he  was  the  little  horn  be- 
fore whom  the  three  were  plucked  up.  Out  of  the  fourth 
monarchy,  therefore,  and  in  the  bounds  of  the  western 
Koman  empire,  after  its  division  into  ten  kingdoms,  we 
find  the  power  described  to  which  our  text  alludes — a 
little  horn  plucking  up  three  horns.* 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  identify  the  other  power  to 
which  the  text  alludes.  In  chapter  viii.  the  prophet  had 
another  vision.  He  saw  a  ram,  which  had  two  horns, 
both  high,  but  the  one  higher  than  the  other  ;  and  the 
ram  pushed  westward,  and  northward,  and  southward, 
and  did  according  to  his  will,  and  became  great  ;  and 
while  he  was  considering,  an  he  goat  came  from  the 
west,  which  had  a  notable  horn  between  his  eyes,  and 
smote  the  ram  and  brake  his  two  horns,  and  cast  him 
down,  and  stamped  on  him  ;  and  the  he  goat  waxed 
very  strong,  and  when  he  was  strong  the  great  horn 
was  broken,  and  in  the  place  of  it  came  up  four  nota- 
ble ones  towards  the  four  winds  of  heaven,  i.  e.,  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe,  and  out  of  one  of  these  four,  came 
forth  a  little  horn,  which  waxed  exceeding  great  toward 
the  south,  toward  the  east,  and  toward  the  pleasant  land, 
i.  e.,  Jerusalem,  and  it  cast  down  the  truth  to  the 
ground,  and  practiced  and  prospered. 

*  The  historian  Gibbon,  in  chapter  xlv.,  or  volume  iii.,  p.  202,  of  the  fifth 
American,  from  the  last  English  edition,  describes  the  boundaries  of  these 
three  powers  as  they  existed  just  before  their  overthrow  and  subjection  to 
Papal  authority,  to  which  authority  we  refer  the  reader  who  desires  further 
information  ou  this  subject :  vide,  also,  chapter  xlix.,  or  volume  viL,  p.  338. 


114  OVERTHROW  OF  ROMANISM 

Now  that  Daniel  might  be  at  no  loss  what  this  meant, 
the  angel  Gabriel  explained  it  to  him,  verse  20.  The 
ram  which  thou  sawest  having  two  horns,  are  the  kings 
of  Media  and  Persia,  and  the  rough  goat  is  the  king  of 
Grecia,  and  the  great  horn  between  his  eyes,  is  the  first 
king,  i.  e.j  Alexander  the  Great.  Now,  that  being  brok- 
en, whereas  four  stood  up  for  it,  four  kingdoms  shall  stand 
up  out  of  the  nation,  but  not  in  his  power.  It  is  well 
known  to  all  the  readers  of  history,  that  Alexander  the 
Great,  who  died  without  issue,  at  his  death  left  his  em- 
pire to  be  divided  among  four  of  his  generals.  Lysima- 
chus  took  the  northern  regions,  Ptolemy,  the  southern 
countries,  Seleucus,  the  eastern  provinces,  and  Cassan- 
der,  the  western  parts.  Thus  four  stood  up  toward  the 
four  winds  of  heaven,  but  not  in  his  power.  Now  out  of 
one  of  these  four  there  should  arise  a  little  horn  which 
should  wax  exceeding  great  toward  the  south,  toward  the 
east,  and  toward  the  pleasant  land,  i.  e.,  Jerusalem.  This, 
Gabriel  says,  shall  be  in  the  latter  time  of  their  kingdom, 
when  the  transgressors  are  come  to  the  full.  This  per- 
son is  described,  verse  28?  as  being  a  king  of  a  fierce 
countenance,  and  understanding  dark  sentences,  and  his 
power  shall  be  mighty,  but  not  by  his  own  power,  i.  e., 
personal  valor,  of  which  we  shall  speak  more  hereafter. 
Now  the  historian  Rollin  informs  us  that  the  empire  of 
Alexander  was  distributed  into  four  kingdoms,  of  which 
Ptolemy  had  Egypt,  Libya,  Arabia,  Coelo-Syria,  and  Pal- 
estine. This  little  horn,  therefore,  which  was  to  arise 
out  of  one  of  the  four  divisions  of  Alexander's  empire, 
and  wax  great  toward  the  south,  toward  the  east,  and 
toward  the  pleasant  land,  or  Jerusalem,  would  naturally 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  115 

be  looked  for  to  spring  up  out  of  that  part  which  fell 
to  Ptolemy,  inasmuch  MS  that  embraced  t!>e  south  and 
pleasant  land,  and  bordered  on  the  east. 

Some  commentators  have  supposed  that  An'iochus 
Epiphanes  was  the  little  horn  here  spoken  of.  There  are 
very  many  reasons  which  might  be  given  why  this  is  not 
so,  only  two  of  which  we  shall  assign. 

1.  This   little   horn  was   to  arise  in   the   latter  time 
of  the    kingdom,    (an    expression    denoting   the    Gen- 
tile dispensation,)  out  of  which  he  was  to  spring,   but 
Antiochus   Epiphanes    reigned   over   Syria   only   about 
one  hundred  and  sixty  years  after  the  death  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great,  and  one  hundred  and  forty  years  be- 
fore the  birth  of  Christ ;  and, 

2.  The  power  of  this  little  horn  was  to  continue  until 
the  last  days,  for  it  was  to  stand  up  against  the  Prince 
of  princes,  and  to  be  broken  without  hand,  whereas  the 
power  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  was  broken  two  thousand 
years  ago.     There  are  several  other  weighty  objections 
against  such  an  application  of  this  Prophecy,  which  time 
fails  us  to  mention. 

This  little  horn  must  therefore  be  looked  for  some- 
time during  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  or  Gentile  dispensa- 
tion, and  it  is  only  fur  us  now  to  identify  him.  One  of 
the  most  remarkable  revolutions  in  the  history  of  this 
dispensation,  since  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  one  which 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  most  wide-spread  and  endur- 
ing empire  that  has  existed  since  the  downfall  of  the 
Roman,  is  that  which  was  commenced  in  Arabia,  in  the 
seventh  century,  by  the  pretended  Apostle  of  Mecca,  but 
real  impostor,  Mohammed.  His  history  and  career  will 


lTIVBRSITT 


116  OVERTHROW  OFv  ROMANISM 

be  found  to  realize  the  description  of  the  little  horn  in 
Daniel,  viii.  9,  as  the  Papacy  does  that  in  Daniel,  vii.  8. 
Before  we  proceed  to  draw  out  the  parallel  between  these 
two  horns,  let  us  consider  briefly  the  state  of  society 
which  existed  at  the  time  of  their  appearance,  and  this 
will  throw  some  light  upon  the  causes  which  facilitated 
their  growth  as  well  as  the  purposes  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence in  permitting  them  to  arise. 

The  Christian  Church  became  at  an  early  period  di- 
vided into  two  parts,  the  eastern  and  western,  following 
the  civil  divisions  of  the  Koman  empire — Constantinople 
the  capital  of  the  east,  and  Kome  of  the  west.  They 
were  also  called  the  Greek  and  Latin  Churches,  accord- 
ing to  the  language  which  each  used  in  divine  worship. 

The  declension  of  both  these  branches  of  the  Christian 
Church  from  primitive  purity  of  doctrine  and  life  was  grad- 
ual, yet  woful,  down  to  the  period  when  these  two  horns 
sprang  up.  The  Greeks,  being  inclined  to  philosophical 
speculations,  corrupted  the  Christian  faith  by  number- 
less heresies,  so  that  divisions  multiplied,  and  sects  strove 
against  each  other,  until  at  length  all  charity,  and  hu- 
mility, and  piety  sank  so  low  that  Christ's  gospel  became 
a  savor  of  death  instead  of  life.  The  Arians,  and  Sa- 
bellians,  and  Nestorians,  and  Apollonarians,  and  Collo- 
rydians,  and  a  multitude  of  others,  so  confounded  the 
great  doctrines  of  Christianity  with  the  metaphysical 
subtleties  and  jargon  of  the  schools,  that  they  lost  their 
power  as  a  rule  of  life  and  a  way  of  salvation.  The 
Latin  mind  was  of  a  different  construction  from  the 
Greek  mind.  It  inclined  more  to  superstition  than  to 
speculation,  and  accordingly  the  corruptions  of  Christ;- 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  117 

anity  in  the  western  Church  took  that  direction  instead 
of  the  other.  Hence  invocation  of  saints,  veneration  of 
relics,  image  worship,  and  Mariolatry,  or  the  intercession 
of  the  Virgin,  were  the  forms  of  corruption  which  arose 
and  were  rife  in  western  Christendom.  It  is  impossible 
to  make  more  than  a  mere  reference  to  these  things ; 
time  will  not  permit  us  to  go  into  detail. 

Now,  to  punish  the  Church  for  her  unfaithfulness  and 
ahuse  of  His  gospel,  God  permitted  two  adversaries  to 
arise  who  should  scourge  her  with  the  very  means  by 
which  she  had  offended  Him,  and  in  addition  to  corrupt- 
ing her  still  further  with  false  doctrine  and  superstition, 
should,  under  the  name  and  pretext  of  religion,  establish 
over  her  a  system  of  civil  and  religious  despotism,  under 
which  she  should  groan  for  centuries  and  ages.  Hence 
the  Greek  Church,  which  delighted  in  speculative  philos- 
ophy, which  overran  her  with  various  heresies,  has  been 
"brought  into  subjection  to  a  heresy  of  a  new  kind,  which 
the  little  horn  out  of  the  Macedonian  empire  imposed 
on  her  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  The  Latin  Church, 
which  inclined  to  excessive  veneration  for  relics  and 
saint  worship,  has  been  brought  into  subjection  to  a 
system  of  superstitious  rites  and  ceremonies,  with  all  its 
debasing  tendencies,  which  the  little  horn  out  of  the 
broken  Koman  empire  has  also  imposed  on  her  for  cen- 
turies ;  and  these  two  horns,  side  by  side,  have  ruled 
Christendom  for  ages,  and  still  excise  dominion  over 
a  large  portion  of  it.  Mohammedanism  extends  over 
Turkey  in  Europe  and  Asia,  Little  Tartary,  Persia,  the 
Mogul  empire,  Arabia,  Egypt,  all  the  southern  coast  of 
Africa,  Nubia,  Zanguehar,  part  of  Nigritia  and  Sahara, 


118          OVERTHROW  OF  ROMANISM 

and  all  the  Barbary  States,  comprising  an  aggregate 
of  a  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  human  beings.  Ro- 
manism prevails  over  all  the  Italian  States,  France, 
Spain,  Portugal,  the  Austrian  empire,  many  of  the  Ger- 
man States,  part  of  Prussia,  Ireland,  Hungary,  Poland, 
Mexico,  Central  and  South  America,  comprising  an  ag- 
gregate of  a  hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  human  beings. 
These  vast  masses  of  the  human  race  are  still  in  subjec- 
tion to  those  systems  of  oppression,  and  moral  and  spirit- 
ual darkness,  which  were  first  imposed  upon  them  so 
many  centuries  ago,  and  have  had  a  cotemporaneous 
existence  for  more  than  twelve  hundred  years ;  and  they 
are  the  two  branches  of  that  great  mystery  of  iniquity 
which  was  to  carry  on  an  unceasing  conflict  against 
the  mystery  of  godliness  until  the  close  of  this  dispen- 
sation. 

Let  us  now  draw  a  parallel  between  these  two  horns, 
and  point  out  the  remarkable  analogy  which  exists  be- 
tween them  in  the  whole  of  their  wonderful  careers;  and 
as  we  do  this  the  character  of  each  branch  of  this  mys- 
tery of  iniquity  will  be  more  fully  developed. 

1.  The  first  point  of  analogy  between  them  is.  their 
cotemporaneous  birth.  The  seventh  century  stands  as 
the  common  era  for  the  commencement  of  the  Papal 
and  Mohammedan  tyrannies. 

Though  Mohammed  was  born  towards  the  close  of 
the  sixth  century,  A.  D.  571,  yet  it  was  not  until  the 
beginning  of  the  following  century  that  he  began  to 
promulgate  his  tenets,  and  assert  his  claims  to  be  an 
apostle  of  God  ;  and  so,  although  in  533  Justinian  ac- 
knowledged the  supremacy  of  the  Roman  bishop,  yet 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  119 

it  was  not  until  606  that  this  power,  which  was  re- 
jected by  many  for  a  long  time,  was  confirmed  by 
the  emperor  Phocas,  and  established  by  decree  over 
the  western  Church.  This  is  about  the  same  period 
that  Mohammed  retired  to  the  cave  of  Hera  to  fabri- 
cate his  imposture  and  compose  the  Koran,  which  he 
pretended  to  have  received  from  God,  and  to  assert  his 
claim  to  be  obeyed  by  all  men  as  the  apostle  of  God. 
Thus  the  two  little  horns,  Eomanism  and  Mohammed- 
anism, sprang  up  about  the  same  time. 

2.  Popery,  which  commenced  first  as  a  spiritual  author- 
ity, soon  aimed  at  temporal  sovereignty,  and  finally  be- 
came the  most  powerful  despotism  in  Europe.  So  Mo- 
hammedanism, which  first  commenced  as  a  mere  religious 
reformation  to  abolish  idolatry,  arose  gradually  to  a  mili- 
tary power  of  the  fiercest  class,  and  ruled  Asia,  and  parts 
of  Europe  and  Africa  for  centuries  with  unmitigated  tyr- 
anny. This  double  character  of  both  systems  is  undoubt- 
edly alluded  to  by  the  prophet  in  our  text,  when  he  says 
of  the  first  horn,  "  It  had  eyes  like  a  man,  and  a  mouth 
speaking  great  things,"  i.  e.,  spiritual  authority,  yet  not 
the  humility  which  belongs  to  it,  but  ambitious  preten- 
sions ;  and  of  the  second  horn,  "  Shall  understand  dark 
sentences  and  magnify  himself  in  his  heart/' 

The  Koran,  so  celebrated  in  the  Mohammedan  religion 
as  the  book  containing  their  spiritual  mysteries,  exactly 
answers  this  description,  and  it  is  not  a  little  remarkable 
that  the  author  of  the  Koran  should  have  been  uncon- 
sciously led  to  appropriate  the  language  of  this  prediction 
to  himself,  in  such  expressions  as  these  in  the  Koran, 
"  0  Lord,  thou  hast  given  me  a  part  of  the  kingdom,  and 


120  OVERTHROW   OF   ROMANISM 

hast  taught  me  the  interpretation  of  dark  sayings.  This 
is  a  secret  which  we  reveal  unto  thee,  0  Mohammed/' 
His  pretense  to  the  knowledge  of  hidden  mysteries  was 
about  as  well  founded  as  that  of  the  bishop  of  Eome  to 
universal  supremacy. 

3.  These  two  powers  are  both  called  little  horns,  rising 
from  among  great  horns.     The  Papacy  rises  among  the 
ten  horns,  which  were  the  ten  kingdoms  of  western  Kome, 
and  Mohammedanism  from  or  out  of  four  notable  horns  or 
kingdoms,  in  which  the  Greek  or  Macedonian  empire  was 
divided.     The  four  generals  of  Alexander  were  men  of 
distinction  before  they  divided  his  vast  empire  between 
themselves,  and  the  ten  kings  were  probably  of  noble 
birth  before  they  wore  the  crown,  but  Mohammed  was 
an  obscure  individual,  and  the  bishops  of  Kome  private 
citizens  before  their  elevation  to  power.    There  was  noth- 
ing in  the  circumstances  of  either  to  warrant  the  celebrity 
or  exalted  position  they  finally  attained.     Hence,  both 
are  called  little  horns. 

4.  They  both  reached  their  elevated  position  by  vio- 
lence and  fraud.    The  little  horn  of  the  Papacy  by  pluck- 
ing up  three  horns,  or,  as  the  angel  explains  it,  subduing 
three  kings.     The  Mohammedan  horn  by  causing  craft 
to  prosper  in  his  hand,  and  by  "  destroying  wonderfully," 
as  the  prophet  declares.     The  military  exploits  of  Popery 
and  Mohammedanism  form  one  of  the  darkest  pages  in 
the  history  of  the  world. 

5.  They  both  made  the  rod  of  their  oppression  to  fall 
heavily  on  the  Jewish  people.     The  Prophet  Daniel  says 
of  the  first  little  horn,  vii.  25,  "he  shall  wear  out  the 
saints  of  the  Most  High,"  L  e.,  the  ancient  covenant  peo- 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  121 

pie,  which  has  been  fully  verified  in  the  cruel  oppressions 
which  the  children  of  Israel  have  received  in  almost  all 
Papal  lands  ;  and  of  the  second  little  horn,  viii.  24,  "  he 
shall  destroy  the  mighty  and  the  holy  people,"  which,  has 
been  equally  fulfilled  in  the  contempt  and  persecution 
which  Mohammedans  have  always  shown  to  the  seed  of 
Jacob. 

6.  The  Koman   pontiffs  claimed  to  derive   their  au- 
thority by  regular  succession  from  St.  Peter,  the  first  of 
the  Apostles.     The  caliphs,  who  are  invested  with  su- 
preme religious  and  civil  power  in  the  Mohammedan  re- 
ligion, claim  to  derive  authority,  by  regular  succession, 
from  Mohammed,  who  is,  according  to  their  creed,  the 
last  and  greatest  of  the  Apostles. 

7.  The  Papal  and  Mohammedan  tyrannies  alike  ad- 
vanced the  claim  to  universal  sovereignty,  and  they  alike 
enforced  their  pretensions  by  persecution  and  the  sword. 
In  the  language  of  the  prophet,  vii.  20,  "  the  mouth  of 
the  one  spake   great   things,"  and   the  other,  viii.   25, 
"magnified  himself  in  his  heart."    We  have  all  read  the 
Papal  bulls,  and  the  blasphemous  titles  in  which  they 
are  put  forth  :  PRINCE  OF  THE  KINGS  OF  THE  EARTH, 
VICEGERENT  OF  GOD,  VICAR  OF  CHRIST,  and  the  uni- 
versal homage  which  the  pontiffs  have  claimed  from  all 
nations.     The  caliphs  issued  their  mandates  in  no  less 
pompous  terms :   SERVANT  OF  THE    SERVANT  OF  GOD, 
LAST  AND  GREATEST  OF  PROPHETS,  the  PARACLETE,  or 
Illustrious.     If  any  disputed  these  honors  or  denied  the 
titles,  persecution  and   death  were  deemed   their  just 
punishment,  as  the  history  of  both  of  the  little  horns  will 
abundantly  show. 


122  OVERTHROW   OF    ROMANISM 

8.  Popery  had  her  holy  cities,  and  encouraged  pilgrim- 
ages to  them  from  all  parts  of  the  earth.     Home  and 
Jerusalem  were  the  sacred  spots  to  which  her  votaries 
were  attracted  by  promises  and  hopes  of  spiritual  ad- 
vantage.    A  pilgrimage  to  either  of  these  was  accounted 
an  act  of  great  merit,  entitling  them  to  high  favor  in  the 
sight  of  God.     Mohammed  made  Mecca  and  Medina  the 
places  of  religious  resort,  and  awarded  great  honors  to 
those  who  visited  them. 

9.  Popery  encouraged  holy  wars  for  the  propagation 
of  the  faith  and  suppression  of  heresy.     The  crusades 
which   aroused  all  Europe  for  nearly  two  centuries,  is 
evidence  of  her  pious  use  of  the  sword  for  the  propa- 
gation of  her  faith  and  the  extension  of  her  power.     Mo- 
hammedanism  accepted  the  challenge,  met  her  in  the 
Holy  Land,  and  there  each  slaughtered  the  other  for  the 
glory  of  God,  until  the  sword  was  drunk  with  blood,  and 
Jerusalem  had  been  taken  and  retaken  several  times. 
A  favorite  motto  of  Mohammedan  princes  was,  and  still 
is,  that  the  "  sword  is  the  key  of  Paradise." 

10.  Popery  has  instituted  mendicant  orders  and  mo- 
nastic fraternities,  so  that  her  Church  has  swarmed  with 
cowled  monks  and  begging  friars,  who  in  many  coun- 
tries have  passed  over  the  land  like  locusts,  devouring 
every  green  thing.     Mohammedanism  has  also  its  orders 
of  dervishes,  fakirs,    santons,   etc.,   who   fill   the  same 
place  in  her  system  that  monks  and  friars  do  in  the  Pa- 
pal. 

11.  The  Christian  princes  of  Papal  Home  eventually 
all  acknowledged  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  and  held 
their  crowns  by  his  grant,  doing  fealty  and  homage  for 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  123 

them,  as  the  history  of  Europe  during  the  middle  ages 
will  show;  so  also  the  Mohammedan  princes  held  theirs 
by  a  like  tenure,  viz.,  the  authority  of  the  caliphs. 

12.  Mohammedanism  rose  from  the  smallest  begin- 
ning, and  spread  with  the  greatest  rapidity  until  it  em- 
braced nearly  the  third  part  of  the  civilized  world.  At 
first  its  progress  was  exceeding  slow.  For  when  Moham- 
med was  forty-four  years  of  age  he  had  succeeded,  as  the 
fruit  of  several  years  of  labor,  in  winning  over  only  nine 
individuals  to  his  faith.  From  this  small  beginning,  in  the 
short  space  of  eighty  years  he  laid  the  foundation  of  an 
empire  which  extended  itself  over  more  "kingdoms  and 
countries  than  Kome  had  mastered  in  eight  hundred 
years.  So  when  the  bishops  of  Rome  first  began  to 
claim  supremacy  over  the  whole  Church,  few  it' any  yield- 
ed to  their  claim.  But  perseverance  finally  overcame  all 
obstacles,  and  eventually  their  dominion  was  more  abso- 
lute than  any  of  the  Roman  emperors  had  been  in  the 
palmiest  days  of  their  power.  The  decrees  of  the  Vat- 
ican at  last  went  forth  with  the  same  authority  that  the 
edicts  of  the  Cassars  formerly  had  done. 

And  so  these  two  little  horns  grew  up  gradually  side 
by  side,  as  the  scourges  of  an  apostate  Church,  and 
"  practiced  and  prospered  wonderfully  "  for  many  centu- 
ries, bringing  nations  prostrate  at  their  feet,  and  each  in 
the  much-abused  name  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  and  by  the 
pretended  authority  of  His  word,  oppressing  the  weak, 
overthrowing  the  strong,  coercing  the  unwilling,  and  for- 
cing submission  on  pain  of  death  to  the  errors  they 
propagated  and  the  abominations  they  set  up,  even  to 
this  day — and  although  they  have  reached  the  culminat- 


124          OVERTHROW  OF  ROMANISM 

ing  point  of  their  career,  and  are  now  evidently  on  the 
wane,  (if  not  near  their  end,)  yet  they  still  exist,  and  are 
animated  with  a  good  degree  of  their  ancient  spirit, 
modified  by  circumstances,  but  not  changed  in  heart. 

We  might  greatly  extend  or  more  minutely  draw  out  the 
parallel  between  these  two  horns,  (branches  of  the  mys- 
tery of  iniquity,)  did  time  permit ;  but  we  must  hasten 
on  to  show  what  is  the  doom  of  these  two  powers,  and 
what  in  their  history  yet  remains  to  be  accomplished. 

From  the  remarkable  fact  that  these  two  enemies  of' 
Christ  and  of  His  gospel,  sprang  up  together,  and  have 
maintained  a  cotemporaneous  existence  as  rivals  and 
enemies  to  true  religion,  and  to  each  other,  for  so  many 
centuries,  it  has  been  supposed  that  their  decline  and 
fall  will  also  be  simultaneous  ;  and  in  this  opinion  (which 
many  have  derived  merely  from  the  analogies  of  the  case) 
we  are  confirmed  by  the  express  declaration  of  the  proph- 
et. Concerning  the  fate  of  the  first  little  horn,  the 
prophet  says,  vii.  11,  "I  beheld  then,  because  of  the  voice 
of  the  great  words  which  the  horn  spake.  I  beheld  even 
till  the  Beast  was  slain  and  his  body  destroyed  and  given 
to  the  burning  flame;"  and  the  angel  explains  it  farther, 
thus,  verse  26:  "  The  judgment  shall  sit,  and  they  shall 
take  away  his  dominion  to  consume  and  destroy  it  to  the 
end/'  This  is  the  doom  of  the  Papal  apostacy.  Con- 
cerning the  second  little  horn,  the  prophet  says,  viii.  25, 
"  He  shall  also  stand  up  against  the  Prince  of  princes, 
but  he  shall  be  broken  without  hand  ;"  this  is  the  doom 
of  the  Mohammedan  delusion.  Is  it  not  evident  from 
these  expressions  that  both  shall  continue  in  existence 
until  the  second  advent?  Then  shall  the  PRINCE  OF 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  125 

PRINCES,  called  in  Revelations,  PRINCE  OF  THE  KINGS 
or  THE  EAKTH,  and  KING  OF  KINGS,  and  LORD  OF  LORDS, 
appear  to  take  possession  of  the  earth,  and  to  overthrow 
all  powers,  and  thrones  and  dominions  which  are  then 
found  hostile  to  his.  The  modern  dream  of  evangelical- 
ism, which  fancies  that  Popery  and  Mohammedanism 
will  gradually  give  way  before  the  diffusion  of  Bibles  and 
tracts,  and  missionary  efforts,  is  a  theory  which  has 
no  foundation  in  Scripture.  These  ancient  enemies  of 
Christ,  who  for  so  many  centuries  have  corrupted  and 
perverted  His  gospel,  and  made  void  His  word  by  add- 
ing to  and  taking  from  it,  by  corruptions  and  counter- 
feits, shall  not  be  let  off  for  their  long-continued  opposi- 
tion to  truth  and  godliness  at  this  easy  rate,  but  shall 
be  made  most  terrible  examples  of  God's  righteous  indig- 
nation against  the  abuse  of  His  mercy. 

The  utter  hostility  of  these  two  systems  to  the  gospel 
of  Christ  must  be  manifest  to  the  most  careless  observer. 
We  will  not  descend  to  minor  points,  such  as  the  warlike 
and  persecuting  spirit  which  each  has  engendered,  the 
low  and  groveling  superstitions  both  have  invented  and 
circulated,  the  licentiousness,  polygamy,  and  concubinage 
they  have  favored,  together  with  numberless  other  abom- 
inations ;  we  will  only  call  your  attention  to  the  two 
great  cardinal  principles  of  the  gospel  system  which  each 
of  these  have  rendered  null  and  voict  These  are  the  Di- 
vinity and  the  Atonement  of  Christ. 

The  great  distingushing  feature  of  the  gospel,  and 
that  which  makes  it  differ  from  every  other  system 
which  has  ever  been  devised  by  man,  is  this  :  that  the 
Son  of  God,  the  second  person  of  the  adorable  Trinity,  be- 


126  OVERTHROW  OF  ROMANISM 

came  incarnate  for  man,  that  He  might  offer  up  a  .sac- 
rifice for  sin  which  would  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  divine 
justice,  and  procure  pardon  and  acceptance  for  all  who 
would  believe  in  His  name.  This  is  the  essence  of  the 
whole  gospel  system — Christ  and  Him  crucified,  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth. 

Now  how  do  these  two  systems  stand  affected  toward 
these  doctrines,  these  foundation  stones  of  the  Christian 
faith  ?  Their  positions  toward  Christianity  are  of  utter 
hostility,  for,  first,  Mohammedanism  utterly  sweeps  away 
the  divinity  of  our  Lord,  and  reduces  him  to  the  rank  of 
a  mere  Prophet,  inferior  to  the  apostle  of  Mecca  ;  and 
with  the  denial  of  this  glorious  truth,  goes  also  the  doc- 
trine of  His  atonement,  which  has  no  place  in  the  system 
of  that  impostor.  The  pilgrimages,  and  fastings,  and 
prayers,  which  the  Koran  imposes,  these  are  the  founda- 
tions on  which  they  build  their  hopes  of  acceptance  with 
God.  Is  not  this  an  utter  opposition  to  the  gospel  system  ? 

Next  look  at  the  Papal  system.  That  does  not  indeed 
deny  the  divinity  of  Christ,  nor  His  atonement,  but  pro- 
fesses to  believe  both,  and  yet  practically  and  virtually 
supersedes  both  ;  for  if  Christ  be  God  and  man,  and,  as 
the  apostle  declares,  the  u  one  mediator  between  God  and 
man,"  what  need  of  so  many  other  mediators  to  intercede 
for  spiritural  blessings  for  us  ?  In  the  Papal  system,  the 
invocation  of  the  Virgin  and  the  saints  is  made  one  of 
the  most  important  duties  of  that  religion.  Their  in- 
terposition in  our  behalf  is  represented  as  necessary  to 
salvation.  Thus  the  work  of  our  great  High  Priest,  who 
ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us,  and  who,  the 
apostle  says,  (if  any  man  sin,)  "is  our  advocate  with  the 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  127 

Father,  and  the  propitiation  for  our  sins" — His  work  is 
taken  out  of  His  hands  and  given  to  creatures,  dead  and 
in  their  graves,  but  whom  that  delusion  has  resuscitated 
to  take  away  His  honor  and  glory  ;  and  His  atonement  is 
equally  nullified  by  their  doctrine  of  good  works  which 
they  declare  to  be  "  meritorious  and  effectual  for  the 
remission  of  sin."  Christianity,  or  the  gospel  system, 
teaches  us  that  the  blood  of  Christ  alone  cleanesth  from 
all  sin  ;  that  there  is  virtue  and  merit  in  nothing  else  to 
purify  the  soul  from  that  polluting  stain.  It  teaches  that 
the  divinity  of  Christ  gave  His  atonement  such  infinite 
value  that  nothing  need  be  and  nothing  can  be  added  to 
it.  Every  other  device,  therefore,  to  obtain  remission  of 
sin,  whether  penance,  or  the  invocation  of  the  Virgin  and 
the  saints  to  secure  their  prayers  fdr  us,  is  at  war  with 
the  sufficiency  of  that  atonement  which  Christ  offered, 
inasmuch  as  it  implies  a  want  of  virtue  in  it  which  must 
be  supplied  from  some  other  source  ;  and  this  as  effectu- 
ally nullifies  that  great  doctrine  of  the  Christian  system 
as-  Mohammedanism  does  which  formally  denies  it.  Be- 
sides this  antagonism  of  doctrine,  which  Popery  and  Mo- 
hammedanism have  held  against  the  teaching  of  the  New 
Testament,  both  have  claimed  that  temporal  dominion 
over  the  nations  of  the  earth  which  belongs  alone  to 
Christ.  They  have  sought  to  make  vassals  of  those 
whom  they  should  have  taught  to  call  Christ  King  and 
Lord,  instead  of  themselves  ;  and  this  is  still  their  spirit 
and  constant  aim,  and  will  be  to  the  end.  Are  not  their 
systems,  therefore,  utterly  irreconcilable  with  that  of  the 
gospel,  and  with  the  honor,  and  glory,  and  sovereignty 
of  Christ  ?  What,  therefore,  can  we  expect  their  fate  to 


128  OVERTHROW  OF  ROMANISM 

be  at  His  coming  but  that  of  utter  overthrow  ?  Could 
Christ's  kingdom  be  established  over  the  whole  earth, 
and  His  truth  everywhere  prevail,  while  two  systems  so 
diametrically  at  war  with  both,  were  suffered  to  con- 
tinue ?  Impossible.  Wherefore  the  prophet  says  of 
one,  "  The  judgment  shall  sit,  and  they  shall  take  away 
his  dominion,  to  consume  and  destroy  it  to  the  end," 
and  of  the  other,  "  It  shall  be  broken  without  hand," 
expressions  both  denoting  overthrow  by  divine  power. 

In  these  days  of  indifference  to  religious  truth,  a  spu- 
rious liberality  has  sprung  up,  which  seeks  to  put  on 
a  par  all  opinions  about  religion,  however  contrary  to 
each  other,  and  to  reduce  all  practices  to  one  common 
level,  m'aking  sincerity  the  only  test  of  goodness  and 
ground  of  acceptance.  According  to  this  plan,  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  error,  or  heresy,  or  superstition,  or  cor- 
ruption. Truth  and  piety  are  just  what  each  person  fan- 
cies for  himself  he  ought  to  believe  and  practice  ;  and 
we  must  respect  every  one's  opinion  and  way,  however 
absurd,  in  order  to  have  our  own  respected.  This  com- 
promise, many  think,  ought  to  bind  God  as  well  as  our- 
selves, and  that  accordingly,  in  the  end,  He  will  make  no 
difference  about  what  one  has  believed  and  practiced  in 
this  life,  if  he  was  only  sincere.  According  to  this  theory, 
these  two  little  horns  have  nothing  to  fear.  Mohamme- 
danism, which  has  struck  at  the  head  of  Christianity,  by 
denying  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  of  Romanism  which 
has  sapped  the  foundation,  by  denying  the  sufficiency  of 
His  atonement,  and  teaching  the  merit  of  works  as  neces- 
sary to  justification,  have  as  fair  a  chance  of  acceptance 
at  last,  as  those  martyrs  and  confessors,  with  their  fol- 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  129 

lowers,  who  have  lifted  up  their  voices  against  these  her- 
esies, and  have  "contended  earnestly  for  the  faith  de- 
livered to  the  saints."  But  whatever  men  may  think, 
and  plan,  and  devise,  God  will  do  His  own  will  at  last, 
and  if  He  overthrew  Babylon  for  her  idolatry,  and  Nin- 
eveh for  her  cruelty,  and  Tyre  for  her  pride,  and  Jeru- 
salem for  her  rejection  of  Christ,  (all  which  He  had 
previously  declared  He  would  do,)  will  He  shrink  from 
executing  His  judgments  upon  these  modern  foes,  who. 
have  perverted  His  truth  and  corrupted  His  worship, 
any  more  than  He  did  upon  His  ancient  foes  ?  Let 
Him  speak  for  Himself,  and  let  all  the  earth  fear  and 
tremble.  St.  John  invites  us  to  behold  the  judgment 
of  God  upon  the  great  harlot  which  made  all' nations 
drunk  with  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication,  and 
sa)'S,  Revelations,  xviii.  8,  "  Her  plagues  shall  come  on 
her  in  one  day,  death  and  mourning,  and  famine  ;  and 
she  shall  be  utterly  burned  with  fire  :  for  strong  is  the 
Lord  God,  who  judgeth  her."  And  to  show  her  utter 
overthrow  and  ruin,  he  says,  verse  21,  "A  mighty  angel 
took  up  a  stone,  like  a  great  millstone,  and  cast  it  into 
the  sea,  saying,  thus,  with  violence,  shall  that  great  city 
which  reigneth  over  the  kings  of  the  earth,  be  thrown 
down,  and  be  no  more  found,  for  by  her  sorceries  all 
nations  were  deceived." 

It  will  only  be  in  keeping  with  the  past  dispensations 
of  God's  avenging  wrath  that  a  city  like  Rome,  which 
has  been  the  center  and  source  of  such  corrupting  influ- , 
ences  for  ages,  should  like  Sodom  be  sunk  into  the  earth, 
to  rise  no  more.  And  the  Apostle  Jude  expressly  informs 
us  that  the  destruction  of  Sodom  was  intended  to  be  an 


130  OVERTHROW  OF  ROMANISM 

example  of  the  fate  of  all  who  followed  in  her  foot- 
steps. 

And  Mecca  and  Damascus,  which  have  each  heen  capi- 
tals of  the  Mohammedan  apostacy,  have  also  their  pro- 
phetic dooms  to  bear,  when  God  shall  arise  to  shake  terri- 
bly the  earth.  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  by  the  Prophet 
Isaiah,  xvii.  1  :  u  The  burden  of  Damascus.  Behold, 
Damascus  is  taken  away  from  being  a  city;  it  shall  be  a 
ruinous  heap."  Again,  xxi.  13,  16  :  "  The  burden  upon 
Arabia.  All  the  glory  of  Kedar  shall  fail/'  The  capital 
of  Mohammedanism  (Mecca)  lies  in  this  land.  But  the 
simultaneous  overthrow  of  these  two  horns  shall  take 
place  when  the  three  unclean  spirits,  out  of  the  mouth  of 
the  dragon,  of  the  Beast,  and  of  the  false  Prophet,  shall 
go  forth  to  gather  together  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of 
the  whole  world,  to  the  battle  of  the  great  day  of  GOD 
ALMIGHTY  !  Then  the  indignities  which  these  two  organ- 
ized systems  of  hostility  to  the  honor  and  glory  of  Christ 
have  exhibited  in  their  long  career  of  superstition,  false 
teaching,  and  oppression,  shall  come  up  in  remembrance 
before  God  and  be  avenged.  In  their  destruction,  He 
shall  show  their  falsity  and  their  odiousness  in  His  sight, 
and  then  shall  those  beautiful  words  of  the  poet  be 
fulfilled : 

"  Truth  crushed  to  earth  shall  rise  again, 

The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers ; 
But  error  wounded,  writhes  in  pain, 
And  dies  among  her  worshipers." 

So  far  from  the  true  servants  of  God  having  any  sym- 
pathy for  these  systems  in  their  overthrow,  they  are  called 
upon  to  triumph  in  their  downfall,  Revelations,  xviii.  20: 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  131 

"  Eejoice  over  her,  thou  heaven,  and  ye  holy  apostles  and 
prophets,  for  God  hath  avenged  you  of  her." 

In  the  eighth  century,  fears  were  entertained  that  one 
of  the  little  horns  would  destroy  the  other.  Moham- 
medanism threatened  the  extinction  of  Komanism,  as 
well  as  the  whole  of  nominal  Christianity.  Having 
brought  into  subjection  the  Greek  Church,  it  invaded  the 
Koman  apostacy.  Having  conquered  Spain,  it  sought 
to  extend  its  power  over  the  whole  of  western  Europe, 
for  which  purpose  it  invaded  France,  and  would  soon 
have  thundered  at  the  gates  of  Home,  had  not  the  cele- 
brated Charles  Martel  aroused  the  spirit  of  the  nation, 
and  defeated  with  immense  slaughter  the  Saracenic  host, 
and  compelled  them  to  retire  into  Spain.  This  cele- 
brated battle  was  fought  at  Tours,  A.  D.  732,  and  (which 
at  that  time  was  considered  the  salvation  of  Europe,) 
delivered  the  one  horn  out  of  the  hands  of  the  other,  and 
both  still  continued  to  be  the  scourges  of  God  upon  an 
apostate  Church. 

In  the  eleventh  century,  it  was  supposed  by  many  that 
one  little  horn  would  again  destroy  the  other.  Pope 
Gregory  VII.  formed  the  design  of  uniting  all  the  princes 
of  Christendom  against  Mohammedanism,  which  was 
carried  out  in  the  reign  of  his  successor,  when  those  im- 
mense armaments  called  the  crusades  left  the  plains  of 
Europe,  to  attack  the  invading  hosts  of  the  false  Prophet 
in  the  Holy  Land,  and  to  recover  the  holy  sepulchre  from 
their  possession.  Success  at  first  smiled  upon  their  efforts, 
Jerusalem  was  taken,  and  a  Christian  kingdom  formed 
there  under  Godfrey,  first  king.  This  kingdom  continued 
one  hundred  and  eleven  years,  and  had  a  succession  of 


132  OVERTHROW  OF  ROMANISM 

thirteen  kings.  The  conflict  between  the  two  little  horns 
(now  grown  GREAT,)  raged  for  nearly  two  centuries,  dur- 
ing which  time  no  less  than  eight  different  expeditions 
or  crusades  were  undertaken,  the  last  of  which  ended  in 
the  entire  withdrawal  of  the  Christian  forces  from  the 
East,  and  the  utter  abandonment  of  the  enterprise. 
Mohammedanism  recovered  all  its  lost  ground,  and  Ro- 
manism submitted  to  defeat.  The  two  little  horns  still 
continued  to  exist,  rivals  to  each  other,  and  oppressors 
of  the  Church  of  God. 

In  the  fourteenth  century  another  storm  gathered 
which  threatened  the  extinction  of  one  of  the  little 
horns.  The  warlike  Turks,  who  had  succeeded  the  Sar- 
acens, began  to  push  their  conquests  westward  until  they 
finally  captured  Constantinople,  and  again  threatened 
to  overrun  the  whole  of  western  Europe.  So  great  was 
the  terror  inspired  by  their  victorious  arms  that  public 
prayers  were  offered  up  in  all  the  churches  for  deliver- 
ance from  the  impending  danger.  The  battle-ground 
on  this  occasion  was  principally  in  Hungary,  where, 
during  a  period  of  more  than  two  centuries,  twenty-one 
great  battles  were  fought,  of  which  number  the  Turks 
won  twelve,  the  Hungarians  eight,  and  one  doubtful 
victory,  being  claimed  on  both  sides.  That  noble  peo- 
ple who  so  long  breasted  the  storm  which  threatened  to 
burst  over  Europe,  and  to  whom  the  western  powers 
owe  a  debt  of  gratitude,  seemed  then  to  be  the  provi- 
dential agents  to  prevent  the  one  little  horn  from  de- 
stroying the  other.  The  contest,  however,  ended,  as  all 
the  former  had  done,  by  each  retiring  within  their  own 
dominions,  and  continuing  to  uphold  those  systems  of 


AND   MOHAMMEDANISM.  133 

oppression  and  imposture  which  are  opposed  to  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ.  And  this  will  be  the  issue  of  all  future 
conflicts  between  them  :  neither  will  destroy  the  other, 
but  both  will  be  destroyed  together  at  the  second  coin- 
ing of  Christ. 

We  live  in  an  age  when  a  wonderful  spectacle  has 
presented  itself  to  view.  The  Crescent  and  the  Cross 
are  united  under  the  same  banner.  Romanism,  Prot- 
estantism, and  Mohammedanism  have  become  allies. 
The  two  little  horns,  so  long  at  enmity,  seem  to  have 
grasped  the  hand  of  friendship  and  made  common 
cause  against  a  new  enemy.*  What  God  intends  to 
bring  out  of  this  singular  combination  of  hitherto  op- 
posing forces  time  alone  can  disclose.  Of  one  thing, 
however,  we  feel  assured.  This  alliance  can  not  long 
continue  ;  neither  will  the  overthrow  of  Mohammed- 
anism be  prevented  by  it  any  more  than  that  of  Ro- 
manism. Both  will  continue  to  the  time  of  the  end. 
As  they  were  cotemporaries  in  birth,  so  they  will  be  co- 
temporaries  in  death  ;  as  they  have  been  equals  in  blas- 
phemy and  in  the  propagation  of  heresy  and  supersti- 
tion, so  will  they  be  equal  in  those  righteous  retributions 
which  await  the  ungodly ;  as  they  have  been  enemies  in 
many  a  hard-fought  battle,  and  never  could  destroy  each 
other,  so  will  they  at  last  be  destroyed  by  an  enemy  in 
battle  from  whom  there  will  be  no  escape.  When  He 
who  is  now  the  Prince  of  Peace  shall  come  forth  in  His 
character  as  a  "  MAN  OF  WAR,  in  righteousness  to  judge 

*  This  discourse  was  written  and  first  delivered  during  the  winter  of 
1856,  while  the  Crimean  war  was  raging,  and  France  and  England  were 
united  to  sustain  Turkey  against  Russia. 


134 

and  make  war,"  then,  as  the  prophet  declares,  Isaiah, 
xi.  4,  "  shall  He  smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of  His 
mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  His  lips  shall  He  slay  the 
wicked."  This  conflict  shall  be  different  from  any  other  ; 
for  as  the  same  prophet  says,  ix.  5,  "  Every  battle  of 
the  warrior  is  with  confused  noise,  and  garments  rolled 
in  blood ;  but  this  shall  be  with  burning  and  fuel  of 
fire."  And  when  it  takes  place  the  two  little  horns 
shall  vanish  away,  the  ten  horns  of  the  fourth  Beast 
shall  disappear,  and  the  four  notable  horns  of  the  third 
beast  shall  be  no  more  seen.  All  that  remains  will  be 
the  horn  of  David,  which  will  then  bud  and  blossom,  and 
fill  the  world  with  fruit.  The  mystery  of  iniquity,  in  its 
two  leading  branches  being  overthrown,  the  mystery  of 
godliness  will  have  an  unobstructed  development,  and 
Christ's  reign  of  truth,  and  righteousness,  and  peace  will 
be  established  over  all  the  earth;  while  the  Church's 
prayer,  so  long  offered,  will  be  at  last  answered — "  Thy 
kingdom  come ;  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven." 


LEG  TURE    VII. 

THE    CALAMITIES    OF    THE    LAST    DAYS. 

"  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  unto  me,  Take  the  wine  cup  of 
this  fury  at  my  hand,  and  cause  all  the  nations  to  whom  I  send  thee,  to 
drink  it,  and  they  shall  drink  and  be  moved,  and  be  mad  because  of  the 
sword  that  I  will  send  among  them.  And  it  shall  be,  if  they  refuse  to  take 
the  cup  at  thy  hand  to  drink,  then  shalt  thou  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  ye  shall  certainly  drink,  for  lo,  I  begin  to  bring  evil  upon 
the  city  which  is  called  by  my  name,  and  should  ye  be  utterly  unpunished  ? 
Ye  shall  not  be  unpunished,  for  I  will  call  for  a  sword  against  all  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  earth,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  Therefore  prophesy  thou  against 
them  all  these  words,  and  say  unto  them,  The  Lord  shall  roar  from  on  high, 
and  utter  his  voice  from  his  holy  habitation ;  he  shall  mightily  roar  upon  his 
habitation ;  he  shall  give  a  shout,  as  they  that  tread  the  grapes,  against  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  A  noise  shall  come  even  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth ;  for  the  Lord  hath  a  controversy  with  the  nations,  he  will  plead  with 
all  flesh  ;  he  will  give  them  that  are  wicked  to  the  sword,  saith  the  Lord. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  Behold  evil  shall  go  forth  from  nation  to  nation, 
and  a  great  whirlwind  shall  be  raised  up  from  the  coasts  of  the  earth.  And 
the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  at  that  day  from  one  end  of  the  earth  even 
unto  the  other  end  of  the  earth ;  they  shall  not  be  lamented,  neither  gath- 
ered, nor  buried;  they  shall  be  as  dung  upon  the  ground." — JEREMIAH, 
xxv.  15-33. 

THE  royal  prophet  who  exclaims  in  one  place,  "  I  will 
sing  of  mercy  and  of  judgment;  unto  thee,  0  Lord,  will 
I  sing,"  in  another  place  says,  "  Come,  behold  the  works 
of  the  Lord,  what  desolations  He  hath  made  in  the 
earth/'  The  subject  which  is  before  us,  and  now  claims 
our  attention,  is  the  calamities  and  distresses  which  will 


136  THE    CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS. 

befall  the  nations  of  the  earth  just  before  the  close  of 
this  dispensation.  This  unpleasant  theme  we  would 
gladly  avoid,  could  we  do  so  without  keeping  back  part 
of  the  whole  cgunsel  of  G-od,  or  without  hiding  from  you 
the  evil  as  well  as  the  good  which  is  in  the  future;  but  it 
presses  itself  upon  our  attention  because  it  is  held  up  by 
the  prophets  as  one  of  those  momentous  events  in  which 
the  whole  human  family  have  a  most  painful  interest. 

As  a  part  of  the  duty  of  an  historian  is  to  record  the 
great  calamities  by  fire  and  sword,  and  pestilence  and 
earthquake,  which  have  swept  away  whole  cities,  and  de- 
populated vast  provinces,  as  well  as  the  political  events 
which  have  overthrown  reigning  dynasties  and  advanced 
others  to  power,  so  do  the  prophets  in  describing  the 
course  of  empire,  from  its  first  rise  down  to  its  final  dis- 
solution, foretell  the  fearful  events  which  shall  accom- 
pany the  wreck  of  nations,  and  the  dissolution  of  empires 
just  before  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Son 
of  Man.  As  all  the  great  empires  which  are  spoken  of 
in  Prophecy  have  been  built  upon  the  ruins  of  those 
which  preceded  them,  and  have  advanced  their  way  to 
supremacy  over  the  prostrate  necks  of  subjugated  foes, 
and  amidst  desolations  of  countries  and  the  slaughter  of 
their  inhabitants,  so  when  the  last  overturning  comes, 
the  time  spoken  of  when  the  "  stone  cut  out  of  the  moun- 
tain without  hands  shall  smite  the  image  on  the  feet,  and 
the  iron  and  the  clay,  the  brass,  and  the  silver,  and  the 
gold  shall  be  broken  to  pieces  together,  and  shall  be- 
come like  the  dust  of  the  summer  threshing  floor,  and 
the  wind  shall  carry  them  away  so  that  no  place  shall  be 
found  for  them ;"  such  scenes  of  desolation  shall  be 


THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS.  137 

spread  over  the  globe  as  all  past  disasters  are  only  faint 
types  of. 

In  unfolding  this  subject,  therefore,  sad  and  mournful 
are  the  tidings  we  have  to  hear ;  dark  and  gloomy  is 
the  picture  which  truth  compels  us  to  draw  of  a  future 
scene  which  earth  has  yet  to  realize  before  that  good 
time  coming  of  which  poets  and  philanthropists  delight 
to  speak;  "a  time  of  trouble  such  as  never  was  before, 
nor  ever  after  shall  be,"  which  the  prophets  foretell  with 
the  certainty  of  a  divine  foreknowledge.  This  period, 
which  is  alluded  to  by  almost  all  the  sacred  writers  from 
Moses  to  Malachi  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  by  our 
Saviour  and  the  Evangelists  and  Apostles  in  the  New 
Testament,  is  presented  by  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  in  our 
text  under  an  image  of  maddening  rage  and  fury  which 
has  scarce  a  parallel  anywhere  else. 

It  has  from  time  immemorial,  been  the  practice  when 
men  of  violence  and  blood  would  excite  themselves  ta 
the  commission  of  desperate  acts  of  lawlessness,  first  to 
resort  to  the  intoxicating  bowl,  and  there  drown  reason 
and  inflame  passion,  until  regardless  of  every  considera- 
tion of  justice,  or  mercy,  or  humanity,  they  plunged  head- 
long into  their  career  of  ^cruelty,  and  perpetrated  the 
most  horrid  barbarities.  In  allusion  to  such  a  practice, 
the  Prophet  Jeremiah  informs  us  in  the  text,  that  he 
received  the  following  message  :  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel  unto  me,  take  the  wine  cup  of  this  fury  at 
my  hand,  and  cause  all  the  nations  to  whom  I  send  thee, 
to  drink  it,  and  they  shall  drink,  and  be  moved,  and  be 
mad,  because  of  the  sword  that  I  will  sand  among  them." 
All  war  and  violence  proceed  from  an  intoxication  of  the 


138  THE    CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS. 

passions.  The  sober-minded  eschew  such  outbursts  of 
rage.  But  war  is  often  sent  as  a  scourge  by  God  upon 
the  wicked,  a  judgment  for  sin;  and  not  only  war,  but 
also  pestilence,  famine,  inundations  and  insurrections. 
"  Shall  there  be  evil  in  the  city  and  the  Lord  hath  not 
done  it  ?"  the  Lord  asks  by  the  mouth  of  the  Prophet 
Amos,  iii.  6.  "  Behold  I  make  peace  and  create  evil,  saith 
the  Lord,"  Isaiah,  xlv.  7.  All  the  elements  are  but  His 
messengers,  and  go  and  come  at  His  command;  therefore 
He  says  in  the  text,  "  Drink  ye  and  be  drunken,  and 
spue  and  fall,  and  rise  no  more,  because  of  the  sword 
which  I  will  send  among  you."  And  if  they  refuse  to  take 
the  cup  at  His  hand,  he  should  say  unto  them,  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  ye  shall  certainly  drink,  for  lo,  I 
begin  to  bring  evil  upon  the  city  which  is  called,  by  my 
name,"  viz.,  Jerusalem,  "and  should  ye  be  utterly  un- 
punished? Ye  shall  not  be  unpunished,  for  I  will  call  for 
a  sword  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts."  Has  this  ever  been  fulfilled  ?  We  know 
that  Jerusalem  has  been  punished,  sorely  punished,  and 
is  to  this  day  lying  under  the  rod  of  His  displeasure. 
The  holy  city  is  trodden  under  foot  of  the  Gentiles, 
and  sits  desolate  and  solitary  Jike  a  weeping  widow,  her 
children  exiled,  while  the  cities  of  the  nations  are  revel- 
ing in  magnificence  and  splendor,  and  their  inhabitants 
are  joyous  and  prosperous.  But  the  tables  are  to  be 
turned,  the  afflicted  are  to  be  made  joyful,  and  the  joy- 
ous sad. 

The  Prophet  Isaiah,  15.  17,  expresses  the  truth  if  pos- 
sible still  clearer  than  the  Prophet  Jeremiah.  He  is  di- 
rected to  say,  "  Awake,  awake,  stand  up,  0  Jerusalem, 


THE   CALAMITIES   OF    THE   LAST   DAYS.  139 

which  hast  drunk  at  the  hand  of  the  Lord  the  cup  of  His 
fury  ;  thou  hast  drunken  the  dregs  of  the  cup  of  trembling 
and  wrung  them  out ;  thy  sons  have  fainted,  they  lie  at 
the  head  of  all  the  streets  as  a  wild  bull  in  a  net ;  they 
are  full  of  the  fury  of  the  Lord,  the  rebuke  of  thy  God  ; 
therefore  hear  now  this,  thou  afflicted  and  drunken,  but 
not  with  wine  ;  thus  saith  thy  Lord  the  Lord,  and  thy 
God  that  pleadeth  the  cause  of  His  people  :  Behold,  I 
have  taken  out  of  thy  hand  the  cup  of  trembling,  even 
the  dregs  of  the  cup  of  my  fury  ;  thou  shalt  no  more  drink 
it  again,  but  I  will  put  it  into  the  hands  of  them  that 
afflict  thee,  which  have  said  to  thy  soul,  bow  down  that 
we  may  go  over,  and  thou  hast  laid  thy  body  as  the 
ground  and  as  the  street  to  them  that  went  over" 
Wherejfore  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  says  in  the  text,  "  Ye 
shall  certainly  drink,  for  lo  I  begin  to  bring  evil  upon 
the  city  which  is  called  by  my  name,  and  should  ye  be 
utterly  unpunished  ?  Ye  shall  not  be  unpunished,  for 
I  will  call  for  a  sword  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth."  The  fact  of  Jerusalem's  overthrow  is  therefore 
the  proof  and  standing  witness  of  the  like  judgment 
which  hangs  over  all  the  other  cities  and  nations  of  the 
world.  Obadiah,  10-16.  And  by  what  means  shall  this 
be  brought  about  ?  The  prophet  informs  us  in  the  next 
verse,  30 :  "  Therefore  prophesy  thou  against  them  all 
these  words  and  say  unto  them,  the  Lord  shall  roar  from 
on  high  and  utter  His  voice  from  His  holy  habitation  ;  He 
shall  give  a  shout  as  they  that  tread  the  grapes,  against 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth."  A  noise,  (earthquake  ?) 
shall  come  even  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  :  evil  shall  go 
forth  from  nation  to  nation,  which  may  refer  either  to 


140  THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DATS. 

discord  or  pestilence,  moral  or  physical  evil ;  and  a  great 
whirlwind  shall  be  raised  up  from  the  coasts  of  the  earth — • 
a  hurricane,  which,  like  a  blast  from  the  breath  of  His  nos- 
trils, shall  sweep  every  thing  before  it  ;  and  the  slain  of 
the  Lord  shall  be  from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other  ; 
they  shall  not  be  lamented,  nor  buried,  nor  gathered, 
but  be  as  dung  on  the  ground. 

This  dreadful  Prophecy,  which  is  yet  before  us  as  an 
unfulfilled  one,  we  shall  now  attempt  to  open  up  to  you  ; 
and  although  in  so  doing  we  shall  conduct  you  into  a 
chamber  of  horrors,  and  present  you  with  sights  to  sicken 
the  heart,  yet  as  the  original  of  the  picture  is  drawn  by 
the  pen  of  inspiration,  and  was  intended  for  us  to  look  at, 
we  should  not  hesitate  to  do  so,  however  soul-harrowing 
the  view. 

The  calamities  and  distresses  which  shall  befall  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  just  before  the  close  of  this  present 
dispensation,  will  (for  the  sake  of  presenting  the  picture 
more  clearly  before  your  view,)  be  divided  into  the  fol- 
lowing classes  : 

1.  Social  disorders.  2.  Keligious  feuds.  3.  Political 
disturbances.  4.  Temporal  and  physical  calamities. 

1.  Social  disorders.  Holy  Scripture  teaches  us  that  at 
the  close  of  this  dispensation  there  shall  be  a  total  dis- 
solution of  the  social  compact,  and  an  entire  rending 
asunder  of  all  those  moral  ties  which  hold  society  to- 
gether, and  bind  men  by  a  common  interest  to  respect 
each  one  his  neighbor's  rights.  Undoubtedly  the  gen- 
eral corruption  of  society  begins  always  first  in  the  social 
circle.  Insubordination  and  self-will  tolerated  in  the 
child  prepares  the  way  for  a  disregard  of  law  and  order 


THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS.  141 

in  the  man.  Bad  tempers  and  a  spirit  of  contradiction 
in  youth,  unchecked,  produce  misanthropy  and  quarrel- 
someness in  riper  years.  The  seeds  of  social  disorder  are 
almost  always  incubated  around  the  domestic  hearth. 

Now  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  bore  so  large  a  part  in  the 
work  of  inaugurating  the  gospel  dispensation,  (which 
many  think  must  do  all  for  the  human  family  that  is  to 
be  or  can  be  done,)  tells  us  what  will  be  the  final  state 
of  this  dispensation.  In  the  second  epistle  to  Timothy, 
chapter  iii.,  he  says,  "  This  know,  also,  that  in  the  last 
days  (i.  6.,  in  the  end  of  this  dispensation,)  perilous 
times  shall  come  ;"  and  what  are  these  perilous  times  ? 
Wars  ?  pestilences  ?  famines  ?  earthquakes  ?  No.  He 
mentions  a  different  class  of  evils.  "  Men  shall  be  lovers 
of  their  own  selves  ;  covetous,  boasters,  proud,  blas- 
phemers, disobedient  to  parents,  unthankful,  unholy, 
without  natural  affection,  truce  breakers,  false  accus- 
ers, incontinent,  fierce,  despisers  of  those  that  are  good, 
traitors,  heady,  high-minded,  lovers  of  pleasure  more 
than  lovers  of  God,  having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  de- 
nying the  power  thereof."  Here  is  a  group  of  moral,  or 
rather  immoral,  attributes,  embracing  nineteen  partic- 
ulars, and  which  are  all  declared  to  be  the  common  char- 
acteristics of  the  age  or  generation  to  which  they  refer, 
"  the  last  days."  What  must  be  the  social  condition  of 
that  period  when  nineteen  virtues  have  been  eradicated 
from  the  heart,  and  as  many  opposing  vices  installed  in 
power  !  How  strong  must  be  the  bond  of  union  which 
keeps  a  community  together,  when  so  many  virtues  are 
gone  and  so  many  vices  reign  !  Let  us  look  at  the  cata- 
logue, and  imagine  a  state  of  society  where  the  virtues 


142  THE   CALAMITIES   OF    THE    LAST   DATS. 

prevail  and  the  vices. are  kept  down.  Where  men  are 
not  lovers  of  their  own  selves  supremely,  but  have  sym- 
pathy and  fellow-feeling  for  others  ;  not  covetous,  but 
generous  ;  not  boasters,  but  modest  in  their  pretensions  ;- 
not  proud,  but  humble  ;  not  blasphemous,  but  reverent ; 
not  disobedient  to  parents,  but  submissive  to  their  will  ; 
not  unthankful,  but  grateful  ;  not  unholy,  but  of  pure 
life  ;  not  without  natural  affection,  but  affectionate  ;  not 
truce  breakers,  but  always  fulfilling  their  agreements  ; 
not  false  accusers,  but  never  bearing  false  witness  ;  not 
incontinent,  but  faithful  to  marriage  vows  ;  not  fierce, 
but  gentle  ;  not  despisers  of  those  that  are  good,  but 
respecters  of  them  ;  not  traitors,  but  patriots  ;  not  heady 
or  stubborn,  but  yielding  and  listeners  to  reason  ;  not 
high-minded,  but  meek  and  lowly  ;  not  lovers  of  pleas- 
ure more  than  of  God,  but  lovers  of  God  more  than  lovers 
of  pleasure  ;  not  having  the  form  of  godliness  without 
the  power,  but  the  power  as  well  as  the  form.  Now,  we 
can  easily  imagine  that  a  state  of  society  in  which  these 
nineteen  virtues  generally  prevail  in  a  good  degree  may 
be  firmly  knit  together,  and  the  social  compact  be  strong. 

But  let  the  virtues  be  eradicated  and  the  opposite 
vices  gain  control,  and  how  long  could  society  exist  ? 
Would  there  not  be  a  speedy  dissolution  of  the  social 
fabric  ?  This  the  apostle  teaches  when  he  says,  perilous 
times  shall  come.  Why  ?  He  gives  the  reason  :  "For 
men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,"  etc.  Certain- 
ly no  community  can  be  safe  where  such  social  disorder 
reigns.  The  times  are  "  perilous"  indeed,  when  these 
nineteen  vices  universally  prevail. 

The  Prophet  Isaiah,  also,  in  chapter  xxiv.,  shows  the 


THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS.  143 

utter  disorganization  of  society  at  this  same  period,  when 
he  says,  "  Behold  the  Lord  maketh  the  earth  empty,  and 
scattereth  abroad  the  inhabitants  thereof  ;  and  it  shall 
be,  as  with  the  people,  so  with  the  Priest  ;  as  with  the 
servant,  so  with  the  master  ;  as  with  the  maid,  so  with 
the  mistress  ;  as  with  the  buyer,  so  with  the  seller  ;  as 
with  the  lender,  so  with  the  borrower  ;  as  with  the  taker 
of  usury,  so  with  the  giver  of  usury  to  him."  The  rela- 
tions formerly1  existing  between  these  parties,  and  which 
in  a  healthy  state  of  society  were  necessary  and  benefi- 
cial, shall  now  be  entirely  broken  up,  so  that  one  will 
not  regard  or  aid  the  other.  As  our  Lord  declared, 
(speaking  of  this  time,)  "men  shall  betray  one  another, 
and  hate  one  another.  The  brother  shall  betray  the 
brother  to  death,  and  the  father  the  son,  and  children 
shall  rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  shall  cause  them 
to  be  put  to  death  ;"  the  strength  of  filial  and  parental 
attachment  will  be  broken,  and  even  the  sacredness  of 
conjugal  love  will  be  no  protection  against  treasonable 
conspiracy. 

Such  a  total  extinction  of  all  the  social  virtues  will 
soon  prepare  the  way  for  the  fall  of  the  moral  virtues. 
Accordingly,  we  find  that  the  lower  forms  of  sensuality, 
such  as  gluttony,  and  wantonness,  and  drunkenness,  be- 
come general.  Hence,  our  Lord  compares  the  period  just 
previous  to  His  second  advent,  to  that  preceding  the 
flood,  and  the  overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  which 
were  times  of  astounding  sensuality,  moral  pollution,  and 
debauchery.  As  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah,  and  as  it- 
was  in  the  days  of  Lot,  so  shall  it  be  when  the  Son  "of 
Man  is  revealed,  Luke,  xvii.  26-30.  Sad  prospect  for  be- 


144  THE   CALAMITIES   OF    THE   LAST   DAYS. 

lievers  in  human  progress  and  the  perfectibility  of  man. 
Transcendentalism  will  surely  be  at  a  discount,  if  any  of 
the  believers  in  that  delusion  should  see  that  period. 

2.  Next  to  the  moral  and  social  disorders  of  that  day, 
will  be  the  religious  feuds  which  will  then  distract  and 
embitter  the  minds  of  men. 

Our  Lord  when  asked  by  His  disciples  when  the  end 
should  come,  replied,  "  Take  heed  that  no  man  deceive 
you,  for  many  shall  come  in  my  name,  saying,  I  am 
Christ,  and  shall  deceive  many,  and  ye  shall  hear  of  wars 
and  rumors  of  wars,  but  the  end  is  not  yet/'  These  de- 
ceivers shall  inspire  their  followers  with  a  religious  fanati- 
cism which  shall  know  no  toleration,  but  shall  lay  waste 
and  destroy  all  who  will  not  embrace  their  delusions.  Of 
the  spirit  which  always  animates  such  impostors,  we  have 
had  an  example  in  the  career  of  the  false  prophet  of  Mecca, 
who  put  to  the  sword  those  who  would  not  submit  to  his 
imposture,  and  of  the  Roman  pontiffs,  who  subjected  to 
imprisonment,  and  torture,  and  the  stake,  those  who  pro- 
tested against  their  false  assumptions.  But  lest  anyone 
should  say  these  things  belong  to  the  past,  and  can  never 
occur  again,  look  at  the  false  prophet  of  Mormon,  in  our 
own  day,  and  in  our  own  country.  Read  his  defiant 
threats  and  the  spirit  which  evidently  pervades  his  blas- 
phemous communications.  Can  any  one  doubt  that  any 
thing  except  mere  power  is  wanting  in  him  to  subjugate 
our  whole  land  to  his  imposture?  Be  not  deceived  ;  the 
spirit  of  Satan  is  the  ruling  spirit  of  every  great  deceiver. 
Mere  enthusiasts  may  be  tolerant,  but  deliberate  impos- 
tors are  generally  bloodthirsty.  In  our  discourse  upon 
the  last  Antichrist,  we  showed  you  what  the  character  of 


THE    CALAMITIES    OF    THE    LAST   DAYS.  145 

* 

that  apostacy  would  be  as  to  the  extent  and  power  of  the 
delusion  which  it  would  practice  upon  the  world.  We 
did  not  then  delineate  its  persecuting  spirit,  as  that  more 
properly  belongs  to  another  subject  and  a  future  discourse. 
We  will  now  only  refer  to  one  or  two  passages  which 
bear  on  the  point  now  under  consideration,  viz.,  the  re- 
ligious feuds  which  shall  rage,  and  rend  society  asunder 
before  the  second  advent. 

In  Kevelations,  xiii.  we  read,  "  there  was  given  to  him 
a  mouth  speaking  great  things  and  blasphemies,  and  he 
opened  his  mouth  in  blaspheni3r  against  God,  to  blas- 
pheme His  name,  and  His  tabernacle,  and  them  that  dwell 
in  heaven  ;  and  it  was  given  unto  him  to  make  war  with 
the  saints,  and  to  overcome  them,  and  cause  that  as  many 
as  would  not  worship  the  image  of  the  Beast  should  be 
killed."  Now  the  persecutions  of  this  great  deceiver,  the 
last  Antichrist,  and  the  bigoted  zeal  of  the  various  other 
false  Christs,  and  the  opposition  of  the  two  little  horns, 
Komanism  and  Mohammedanism,  and  the  resistance  of 
heathenism  and  Protestantism,  which  will  still  number 
their  millions,  will  produce  a  state  of  agitation  and  exas- 
peration in  the  minds  of  men,  which  will  convert  the 
world  into  a  great  battle-ground  of  conflicting  opinions 
and  mortal  combat,  and  this  strife  will  be  connected  with 
another  evil  which  will  then  prevail  over  the  earth,  viz., 

3.  Political  disturbances.  Nation  shall  rise  against 
nation,  and  kingdom  against  kingdom.  Despotism  shall 
seek  to  overthrow  democracies,  and  democracy  to  uproot 
despotism.  The  conflict  of  political  principles,  which  has 
endured  for  so  many  centuries  between  the  oppressors 
and  the  oppressed,  shall  make  a  desperate  struggle  for 


146  THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS. 

* 

the  ascendency,  and  shall  fail,  for  both  shall  he  discom- 
fited with  the  sword  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  who  says, 
"  If  I  whet  my  glittering  sword,  and  ray  hand  take  hold 
on  judgment,  I  will  make  my  arrows  drunk  with  blood, 
and  my  sword  shall  devour  flesh."  Our  text  says,  "they 
shall  drink  of  the  wine  cup  of  His  fury,  and  be  mad,  be- 
cause of  the  sword  which  He  will  send  among  them, 
for  He  will  plead  with  all  flesh;  He  will  give  them  that 
are  wicked  to  the  sword ;  and  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  at  that  day  from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other." 
This  uprising  of  all  nations  distracted  by  religious  feuds, 
and  embittered  by  political  antagonisms,  shall  proceed 
from  that  judicial  infatuation  which  God  shall  send  upon 
them  as  a  punishment  for  their  sins.  From  the  cup  of 
His  fury,  which  He  makes  them  to  drink,  they  shall  be 
mad,  the  prophet  says,  because  of  the  sword  which  He 
will  send  among  them.  War  is  one  of  God's  scourges 
for  sin,  as  well  as  pestilence  and  famine.  Though  men 
wage  it  for  wicked  purposes,  He  employs  it  for  righteous 
ends,  and  they,  without  their  knowledge  or  intention, 
are  the  agents  of  inflicting  His  judgments  on  themselves. 
In  the  grand  settlement  therefore  of  His  controversy 
with  all  nations,  He  will  call  for  a  sword  upon  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth,  and  will  plead  with  all  flesh. 
Out  of  that  state  of,  first,  social  disorganization  we  have 
described,  and,  secondly,  religious  strife,  horrid  war  will 
naturally  arise.  The  passions  being  let  loose,  and  Di- 
vine restraint  withdrawn,  they  will  rush  to  arms,  and 
lay  waste  each  other's  lands.  In  connection  with  the 
scourge  of  war  and  political  distractions  all  over  the  earth, 
comes,  in  immediate  succession, 


THE    CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS.   .          147 

4.  Another  horrid  train  of  ills,  in  the  form  of  pesti- 
lence, famine,  and  earthquakes. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  in  the  history  of  the  world, 
that  all  great   political   convulsions  and  subversion  of 
empires  have  been  attended  with  physical  disasters  and 
temporal  calamities.     Gibbon  informs  us  that  about  the 
period  of  the  overthrow  of  the  Roman  empire,  a  plague 
which  took  its  rise  on  the  borders  of  the  Nile,  and  spread 
over  the  whole  of  Europe  and  parts  of  Asia,  swept  away 
nearly  two  thirds  of  the  population  of  those  regions,  and 
that  so  great  was  the  mortality,  that  the  order  of  funerals 
and  sepulture  was  confounded,  that  the  dead  lay  unburied 
in  the  streets,  that  at  Constantinople  for  three  months, 
five  and  at  length  ten  thousand  persons  died  each  day, 
that  many   cities  were  left  without  an  inhabitant,  that 
in  whole  districts  of  country,  the  harvevst  and  vintage 
withered  on  the  ground,  and  that  the  decrease  of  the  hu- 
man species  which  then  took  place  in  some  of  the  fair- 
est regions  of  the  globe  has  never  been  repaired  ;  that 
while   this  desolating   scourge  was   spreading,  some  of 
the  most  destructive  earthquakes  of  which  history  gives 
any  record  took  place,  that  Constantinople  was  shaken 
above  forty  days,  that  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
perished  at  Antioch,  that  Beyroot,  with  its  whole  popu- 
lation, was  destroyed,  and  multitudes,  in  various  lauds, 
were  slain  ;  and  that  to  add  to  the  afflictions  and  mis- 
eries of  that  time,  famine  followed  with  all  its  horrors, 
to  still  further  reduce  the  population  of  the  earth.     Such 
were  the  calamities  which  took  place  when  the  fourth 
Beafit  was  about  being  broken  up  and  divided  into  ten 
kingdoms. 


148  THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DATS. 

But  vastly  more  terrible  will  they  be  when  the  ten 
kingdoms  themselves  not  only,  but  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  toorld  which  are  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  shall  be 
made  to  drink  of  the  wine  cup  of  G-od's  fury  which  the 
prophet  was  directed  to  give  them.  Then,  he  says, 
"  evil  shall  go  forth  from  nation  to  nation,"  which  our 
Lord  explains  to  be  "pestilences,  famine,  and  earth- 
quakes in  divers  places,"  and  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other.  The  Lord, 
by  the  Prophet  Ezekiel,  xiv.  21,  asks,  "  When  I  send 
forth  my  four  sore  judgments,  the  sword,  and  the  famine, 
and  the  noisome  beast,  and  the  pestilence  to  cut  off  from 
it  man  and  beast,  who  shall  deliver  out  of  my  hand  ?" 

There  is  another  agent  of  destruction  which  the 
prophet  declares  shall  be  employed  also  at  this  time  to 
execute  the  fury  of  God  on  His  foes,  i.e.,  a  great  whirl- 
wind which  shall  be  raised  up  from  the  coasts  of  the 
earth.  The  prophet  refers  to  this  in  two  other  places 
iii  this  prophecy.  In  chapter  xxx.,  verse  23,  he  says, 
"  Behold  the  whirlwind  of  the  Lord  goeth  forth  with 
fury,  a  continuing  whirlwind;  it  shall  fall  with  pain  upon 
the  heads  of  the  wicked;  the  fierce  anger  of  the  Lord 
shall  not  return  until  He  have  done  it,  and  until  He  have 
performed  the  intents  of  His  heart;"  and  then  to  show 
when  this  shall  be,  he  adds,  f'  in  the  latter  days  ye  shall 
consider  it;"  and  in  chapter  xxiii.  19,  20,  the  same  thing 
is  declared.  We  all  have  read  of  the  effects  of  hurricanes 
in  tropical  climates,  and  have  occasionally  had  a  little  ex- 
perience of  them  in  our  own — how  trees  are  uprooted, 
dwellings  laid  prostrate,  ships  driven  from  their  moorings 
and  stranded  on  the  shore,  and  desolation  spread  over  the 


THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS.  149 

land  ;  these  are  but  feeble  types  of  that  GREAT  WHIRL- 
WIND of  the  latter  days,  when  the  fury  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  upon  all  nations,  and  upon  their  armies,  and 
when  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  from  one  end  of  the 
earth  to  the  other. 

What  the  prophet  means  by  another  expression  in  our 
text  we  are  not  entirely  sure.  He  says,  ''  a  noise  shall 
come  even  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth."  Whether  this 
be  the  rumbling  sound  which  accompanies  earthquakes, 
we  can  not  pretend  to  determine,  but  of  this  we  are  as- 
sured, that  they  shall  be  one  of  the  most  terrific  agents 
by  which  His  fierce  wrath  shall  Ue  executed.  Head 
Isaiah,  xxiv.,  where  the  prophet,  describing  the  desola- 
tions of  this  period,  says,  "the  earth  shnll  reel  to  and  fro 
like  a  drunkard,  and  be  moved  exceedingly,"  and  then 
imagine  the  three  hundred  volcanoes,  which  are  spread 
over  its  surface,  to  be  put  into  active  operation,  and  the 
many  extinct  ones  to  burst  out  anew,  would  not  the  earth 
be  moved  exceedingly,  and  its  motion  be  like  the  reeling 
of  a  drunkard  ?  There  is  still  another  expression  of  our 
text  which  deserves  attention  ;  in  verse  30  he  says,  "  the 
Lord  shall  roar  from  on  high,  and  utter  His  voice  from 
His  holy  habitation."  When  He  came  down  on  mount 
Sinai  and  spake  the  words  of  the  law,  it  was  amid  thun- 
dering and  lightning  and  the  voice  of  a  trumpet,  and  the 
mount  quaked  greatly.  The  Psalmist  referring  to  this 
says,  "Even  Sinai  itself  was  moved  at  the  presence  of 
God,"  "for  His  word  is  very  terrible."  Saint  John,  de- 
scribing the  second  advent  of  Christ,  corning  with  a 
rainbow  on  His  head,  His  face  as  the  sun,  and  His  feet 
as  pillars  of  fire,  says,  "  He  cried  with  a  loud  voice  as 


150  THE   CALAMITIES   OF    THE   LAST    DAYS. 

when  a  lion  roareth,  and  when  He  cried  seven  thun- 
ders uttered  their  voices/' 

From  the  comparison  which  is  made  between  this 
loud  voice  and  the  roaring  of  a  lion,  we  are  inclined  to 
think  it  refers  to  the  same  event  to  which  the  prophet 
alludes  when  he  says,  "  He  shall  roar  from  on  high,  and 
utter  His  voice  from  His  holy  habitation."  But  he  adds 
to  this  another  action  still  more  terrible  than  the  rest : 
"  He  shall  give  a  shout,  as  they  that  tread  the  grapes, 
against  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth."  The  vintage 
and  the  wine  press  are  common  figures  in  Scripture,  de- 
noting God's  acts  of  judgment  against  His  foes.  In  Isaiah, 
Ixiii.  1,  a  question  is  asked,  "  Who  is  this  that  cometh 
from  Edom,  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah,  this  that  is 
glorious  in  his  apparel,  traveling  in  the  greatness  of  his 
strength  ?"  The  answer  is,  "  I  that  speak  in  righteous- 
ness, mighty  to  save."  Question  again  :  "  Wherefore  art 
thou  red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy  garments  like  him  that 
treadeth  in  the  wine  fat  ?"  Answer  :  "  Because  I  have 
trodden  the  wine  press  alone,  and  of  the  people  there 
was  none  with  me  ;  for  I  will  tread  them  in  mine  anger, 
and  trample  them  in  my  fury,  and  their  blood  shall  be 
sprinkled  on  my  garments,  and  I  will  stain  all  my  rai- 
ment. I  will  make  them  drunk  in  my  fury,  and  bring 
down  all  their  strength  to  the  earth." 

In  the  book  of  Revelations,  chapter  xiv.,  the  apostle 
informs  us  that  he  "  saw  a  white  cloud,  and  one  sitting 
upon  it  like  the  Son  of  Man,  having  on  His  head  a  golden 
crown,  and  in  His  hand  a  sharp  sickle  ;  and  He  thrust  His 
sickle  into  the  earth,  and  gathered  the  vine  of  the  earth, 
and  cast  it  into  the  great  wine  press  of  the  wrath  of  God." 


THE   CALAMITIES   OF    THE   LAST   DAYS.  151 

Immediately  after  this  a  great  voice  was  heard  by  the 
prophet  out  of  the  temple,  saying  to  the  seven  angels, 
"  Go  your  ways,  and  pour  out  the  vials  of  the  wrath  of 
God  upon  the  earth."  And  now  follows  a  series  of  ca- 
lamities and  woes  upon  the  children  of  men,  to  which 
there  has  been  no  parallel  since  the  flood.  Read  the 
contents  of  these  vials,  and  see  what  is  yet  in  reserve  for 
a  guilty  world.  The 

1st  angel  poured  out  his  vial  on  the  earth,  and  there 
fell  upon  man  a  noisome  and  grievous  sore,  like  the 
boil,  breaking  forth  with  blains,  which  Moses  inflicted  on 
Egypt,  The 

2d  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  sea,  and  it  be- 
came as  the  blood  of  a  dead  man ;  and  every  living 
thing  died  in  the  sea.  The 

3d  angel  poured  out  his  vial  on  the  rivers  and  foun- 
tains of  water,  and  tbey  became  blood.  And  the  angel 
said,  Thou  art  righteous,  0  Lord,  because  thou  hast 
judged  thus  ;  for  they  have  shed  the  blood  of  saints  and 
prophets,  and  thou  hast  given  them  blood  to  drink.  This 
was  also  one  of  the  plagues  on  Egypt — waters  turned  to 
blood.  The 

4th  angel  poured  out  his  vial  on  the  sun,  and  power 
was  given  unto  him  to  scorch  men  with  fire,  and  men 
were  scorched  with  great  heat,  (the  thermometer  ris- 
ing, perhaps,  to  a  hundred  and  thirty  or  a  hundred  and 
forty  degrees)  ;  and  they  blasphemed  the  name  of  God 
which  had  power  over  these  plagues,  and  repented  not 
to  give  Him  glory.  The 

5th  angel  poured  out  his  vial  on  the  seat  of  the  Beast, 
(i.  e.}  the  last  Antichrist),  and  his  kingdom  was  full  of 


152  THE    CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST    DAYS. 

.•* 

darkness — another  plague  of  Egypt  ;— and  they  gnawed 
their  tongues  for  pain,  and  blasphemed  the  God  of 
heaven  because  of  their  pains  and  their  sores,  and  re- 
pented not  to  give  Him  glory,  like  Pharaoh  and  his  serv- 
ants, whose  hearts  were  still  more  hardened  after  each 
successive  stroke  of  God's  wrath. 

Next  comes,  under  the  6th  vial,  three  unclean  spirits, 
out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Dragon,  of  the  Beast,  and  of  the 
False  Prophet,  which  are  spirits  of  devils,  working  mira- 
cles, going  forth  to  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of  the  whole 
world,  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of  the  GEEAT 
DAY  OF  GOD  ALMIGHTY,  concerning  which  we 
shall  say  nothing  at  present,  as  this  is  to  form  the  sub- 
ject of  a  future  discourse. 

Now  group  together  all  these  calamities  which  we 
have  mentioned,  and  see,  at  one  view,  what  is  the  pic- 
ture they  present  of  the  state  of  the  world  and  society 
at  that  day.  Social  disorganization,  produced  by  the 
suppression  of  all  the  virtues,  and  wild  rage  of  all  the 
passions.  Keligious  strife,  embittered  by  the  fiercest  fa- 
naticism or  grossest  superstition !  political  convulsions, 
growing  out  of  the  antagonism  of  opposite  principles,  and 
the  undying  hatred  of  the  oppressors  and  the  oppressed  ! 
horrid  war,  dragging  her  death-dealing  artillery  through 
every  land  !  fearful  pestilence,  spreading  her  dread  pall 
through  every  city  and  country,  mountain  top  and  vale  ! 
squalid  famine,  imprinting  her  ghastly  features  upon 
famished  multitudes !  terrible  earthquakes,  opening  their 
deep  abysses  and  swallowing  their  thousands,  and  tens 
of  thousands,  like  Corah  and  his  company  !  whirlwinds, 
hurricanes,  and  'tempests,  roaring  through  plain  and  for- 


THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST   DAYS.  153 

est,  spreading  devastation  in  their  track,  and  burying 
multitudes  under  the  ruins  they  create  !  bodily  diseases, 
loathsome  and  painful,  like  Job's,  and  epidemical !  noi- 
some and  grievous  sores,  breaking  forth  with  boils  and 
blanes,  generally  prevalent  !  the  heat  of  the  earth  so  in- 
tensified by  the  solar  rays  that  breathing  is  actually  op- 
pressive, and  fevers  and  sun-strokes  of  constant  occur- 
rence !  the  most  necessary  element  of  life,  water,  turned 
into  blood  !  and  the  effluvia  arising  from  the  mortality 
on  land,  and  the  death  of  every  thing  in  the  sea,  poison- 
ing the  atmosphere,  and  scattering  still  more  widely  the 
seeds  of  death  !  !  ! 

But  the  heart  sickens  at  the  further  recital.  Imagine 
this  state  of  things,  (and  it  is  no  fancy  picture,  but  mere- 
ly the  copy  of  an  original  which  prophetic  seers  drew  upon 
the  inspired  page  many  hundred  years  ago.)  Imagine 
this  state  of  things,  and  can  any  better  summary  of  the 
whole  be  given  than  that  in  the  words  of  our  text,  "  The 
slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  at  that  day  from  one  end  of 
the  earth  to  the  other  ;  they  shall  not  be  lamented, 
nor  gathered,  nor  buried,  but  shall  be  as  dung  upon 
the  ground  ?" 

But  some  one  may  say  this  is  too  horrible  to  be  credi- 
ble. We  can  not  believe  that  a  God  of  love,  who  in- 
structs us  to  call  Him  Father,  and  who  looks  down  with 
compassion  and  ailection  upon  all  men,  as  the  creatures 
of  His  power,  would  ever  accumulate  upon  them  such 
an  exterminating  mass  of  ills,  which  would  all  but  anni- 
hilate the  race.  Impossible  !  Incredible  !  His  mercy  is 
too  great  ever  to  allow  of  such  an  outburst  of  fury  and 
wrath.  We  answer,  where  do  you  learn  this  greatness 

7* 


154  THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST    DAYS. 

of  God's  mercy — from  holy  Scripture  ?     That  teaches 
you  that  He  once  destroyed  the  whole  world,  except  eight 
persons,  with  the  waters  of  a  flood  !  that  He  overthrew 
five  cities   together,  with  all  their   inhabitants,  except 
Lot  and  his  two  daughters,  by  a  storm  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone !  that  he  desolated  the  fairest  part  of  the  globe 
with   ten  plagues,  and  afterward  overwhelmed  a  whole 
army  in  the  Ked  Sea  !     Was  this  the  work  of  mercy  or 
of  wrath  ?     Look  at  divine  Providence  and  the  history 
of  the  world,  and  say  whether  God  has  not  been  fighting 
against  our  race  ever  since  the  fall,  by  fire,  and  water, 
and  pestilence,  and  earthquake,  and  famine,  and  sword, 
and  every  variety  of  ill  that   flesh  is  heir  to  ?     What 
generation  has  been  exempt  from  'some  one  or  other  of 
these  woes  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  ?     Do  you  say  He 
is  a  God  of  love  ?     He  is  a  God  of  love,  blessed  be  His 
name  ;  but  oh,  do  not  forget  another  title  which  He  also 
bears — not  an  empty  title,  but  one  full  of  meaning,  which 
He  has  often,  and  will  yet  more  terribly  prove  :  "Our  God 
is  a  consuming  fire/'     Was  there  ever  a  people  that  He 
loved  better  than  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  was  there  ever 
a  people  whom   He  punished  more  and  longer  ?     There- 
fore the  prophet,  in  our  text,  refers  to  His  dealings  with 
them  as  a  reason  why  the  Gentiles  need  not  expect  to 
escape.     He  says,  if  they,  i.  e.,  "  the  nations  to  whom  I 
send  thee,"  refuse  to  take  the  cup  to  drink,  thus  saith 
the  Lord,  "Ye  shall  certainly  drink  ;  for  lo,  I  begin  to 
bring  evil  upon  the  city  which  is  called  by  my  name  ; 
and  should  ye  be  unpunished  ?     Ye  shall  not  be  unpun- 
ished ;  for  I  will  call  for  a  sword  against  all  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  earth."     The  greatest  manifestation  of  His 


THE    CALAMITIES   OF    THE    LAST    DAYS.  155 

love  that  God  has  ever  made  to  our  world,  is  in  the  gift 
of  His  Son,  to  be  our  Saviour  and  Redeemer  from  eternal 
death.     The  Jews  despised  and  rejected  His  love.     The 
great  majority  of  the  Gentiles  have  done  the  same.     The 
whole  heathen  and  Mohammedan  world,  comprising  be- 
tween five  and  six  hundred  millions  of  the  human  family, 
are  enemies  of  the  gospel  ;  and  of  the  nominal  Christi- 
anity which  remains,  how  much  is  virtually  hostile  to  it  ? 
The  world  has  had  already  eighteen  hundred  years  to 
make  up  its  mind,  whether  it  will  acknowledge  Jesus 
Christ  as  King  and  Lord,  or  not  ;  and  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority  it  has  decided  against  Him  :  and  this  de- 
cision from  a  great  and  overwhelming  majority  is  rap- 
idly approaching  an*  unanimity,  so  that  when  the  Son 
of  Man  cometh,  He  will  scarce  find  faith  on  the  earth. 
Now  does  any  one  suppose  that  things  will  continue  or 
remain  in  this  state  ?     No.     Christ,  who  by  His  gospel 
has  for  centuries  been  sending  messages  of  peace  to  man- 
kind, asking  for  a  voluntary  recognition  of  His  right  to 
reign  on  the  earth,  but  has  generally  been  repulsed  with 
the  ungracious  reply,  "We  will  not  have  this  man  to 
reign  over  us,"  will  take  possession  thereof  by  power,  and 
then  woe,  woe,  woe,  to  the  inhabiters  of  the  earth  and 
of  the  sea.     He  will  give  a  shout,   as  they  that  tread 
the  grapes,  against  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  Mer- 
cy despised,  and  love  rejected,  and  patience  worn  out, 
forbearance  will  no  longer  be  a  virtue,  but  vengeance 
and  wrath  to  the  uttermost  be  the  just  and  righteous 
reward. 

The  prophet    assigns  the    reason  why  the  Lord  will 
plead  with  all  flesh  by  sword,  and  pestilence,  and  fam- 


UNIVERSITY 


156  THE   CALAMITIES   OF   THE    LAST   DAYS. 

ine,  and  whirlwind,  and  all  His  other  judgments,  to  be, 
because  "  He  has  a  controversy  with  the  nations."  A 
controversy  !  And  what  is  it  about  ?  The  dispute  is 
about  the  dominion  of  the  earth,  which  Christ  claims, 
and  they  refuse  to  grant.  He  has  been  peaceably  as- 
serting His  claim  in  the  gospel  for  many  ages,  which  His 
enemies  have  resisted  with  violence.  Now  He  will  em- 
ploy different  instruments  to  subdue  their  opposition. 
As  He  says  by  the  prophet,  Isaiah,  xlii.  14,  "I  have 
long  time  holden  my  peace  ;  I  have  been  still  and  re- 
frained myself  :  now  will  I  cry  like  a  travailing  woman, 
I  will  destroy  and  devour  at  once.  The  Lord  shall  go 
forth  as  a  mighty  man  ;  He  shall  stir  up  jealousy  like  a 
man  of  war.  He  shall  cry,  yea,  nxv  ;  He  shall  prevail 
against  His  enemies." 

If  any  one  would  see  the  justice  of  such  a  series  of 
desolating  judgments  on  the  human  race  as  we  have  de- 
scribed, let  him  seriously  contemplate  the  description  we 
have  given  of  the  social  and  moral  condition  of  mankind 
at  the  time  they  are  inflicted.  Even  now,  has  not  in- 
iquity arisen  to  such  a  pitch  that  it  is  wonderful  that  the 
divine  forbearance  still  holds  out  ?  Could  we  be  placed 
upon  some  eminence  for  a  single  night,  and  a  panorama 
be  made  to  pass  before  us,  which  would  exhibit  to  our 
view  the  interior  life  of  all  the  great  cities  on  the  globe; 
could  we  see  as  God  sees  all  the  crimes  which  are  com- 
mitted in  secret  as  well  as  public  ;  the  assassinations  and 
murders,  and  robberies  and  rapes,  the  fraud  and  violence, 
and  oppression  and  cruelty,  and  all  the  multiplied  forms 
of  iniquity  which  the  deep  depravity  of  the  human  heart 
has  invented;  could  we  see  them  in  all  that  hideous 


THE   CALAMITIES   OF    THE   LAST   DAYS.  157 

deformity  in  which  they  appear  to  the  eyes  of  infinite 
purity,  we  would  wonder  more  that  the  earth  has  not 
long  ago  been  desolated  by  all  these  judgments,  than 
that  they  shall  be  poured  out  in  an  age  when  impiety  shall 
be  increased  an  hundred  fold  !  Is  there  any  punishment 
that  can  be  too  severe  for  open  and  deliberate  contempt 
and  defiance  of  God  and  His  word,  and  His  Spirit,  and 
His  grace  ?  God  has  not  thought  so  in  ages  past,  for 
there  is  not  one  of  these  judgments  mentioned,  that  He 
has  not  at  some  time  or  other  inflicted  upon  those  who 
have  provoked  Him  to  wrath  :  and  therefore,  when  He 
brings  this  long  controversy  which  He  has  had  with  the 
nations  of  the  earth  to  a  close,  and  makes  a  final  settle- 
ment with  an  incorrigible  race,  whom  neither  His  love  nor 
mercy  could  win,  nor  His  warnings  and  threats  deter 
from  increasing  ungodliness,  marvel  not  that  He  should 
beat  them  with  many  stripes,  that  He  should  open  all 
the  vials  of  His  wrath,  and  pour  them  out  upon  them  in 
quick  succession,  until  He  have  overwhelmed  them  in 
that  abyss  of  woe  which  their  provocations  have  so  richly 
merited.  The  gospel  seems  to  have  done  for  our  race 
nearly  all  that  it  can  do.  "What  more  could  I  have  done 
to  my  vineyard  that  I  have  not  done,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts  ?  Therefore  when  I  sought  that  it  should  bring 
forth  grapes,  it  brought  forth  wild  grapes;  and  now  go 
to,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  will  do  to  my  vineyard;  I  will 
lay  it  waste,  it  shall  not  be  pruned  nor  digged.  I  said, 
surely  tliou  wilt  fear  me,  thou  wilt  receive  instruction  ; 
but  they  rose  up  early  and  corrupted  all  their  doings." 
And  now  hear  the  consequence:  "  Therefore  wait  ye  upon 
me,  saith  the  Lord,  until  the  day  that  I  rise  up  to  the 


158  THE    CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST    DAYS. 

prey  ;  for  my  determination  is  to  gather  the  nations, 
that  I  may  assemble  the  kingdoms  to  pour  out  upon 
them  mine  indignation,  even  all  my  fierce  anger,  for  all 
the  earth  shall  be  devoured  with  the  fire  of  my  jealousy. 
THEN  will  I  turn  to  the  people  a  pure  language,  that 
they  may  all  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  to  serve  Him 
with  one  consent."  From  which  it  appears  that  a  new 
and  better  order  of  things  will  not  arise  until  the  present 
order  (which  has  been  so  thoroughly  corrupted)  is  broken 
down  and  taken  out  of  the  way.  Not  that  the  gospel 
may  not  still  be  the  means  of  salvation  to  individuals; 
it  may,  and  will  be,  "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to 
everyone  that  believeth ;"  and  this  is  the  encouragement 
we  hold  out  to  you  in  the  midst  of  increasing  infidelity 
and  ungodliness.  Fly  to  the  cross  while  there  is  yet 
hope.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  ye  perish  in  the  way  while  His 
wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little.  For  all  the  children  of  God 
there  will  be  a  hiding  place  in  the  day  of  His  anger. 
Those  who  have  the  Lord  which  is  their  refuge,  even 
the  Most  High,  their  habitation,  no  evil  shall  befall 
them  nor  any  plague  come  nigh  their  dwelling.  Hence, 
the  Lord,  by  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  xxvi.  20,  21,  says  to 
such,  "  Come,  my  people,  enter  into  thy  chambers  and 
hide  thee  a  little  until  the  indignation  be  overpast,  for 
behold,  the  Lord  cometh  out  of  His  place  to  punish  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  for  their  iniquity;  the  earth  shall 
no  more  disclose  her  blood  nor  cover  her  slain." 

How  near,  or  far  off  we  may  be  from  these  terrible 
scenes,  this  day  of  wrath  and  fierce  anger  against  a  wick- 
ed world,  we  know  not.  But  it  is  our  happiness  that  a 
way  of  escape  is  still  offered  and  opened  to  us  through 


THE    CALAMITIES   OF   THE   LAST    DATS.  159 

the  love  and  mercy  of  God  in  the  sufferings  and  death  of 
His  Son.  The  satisfaction  He  offered  to  divine  justice 
is  the  only  protection  afforded  to  us  against  His  wrath, 
the  only  shield  against  that  fierce  indignation  which  will 
fall  upon  the  head  of  the  wicked.  If  the  world  which 
has  "been  so  long  entreated,  would  only  have  embraced 
this  provision,  that  day  of  fearful  reckoning  would  not 
have  come.  The  wrath  of  God  being  appeased  by  the 
atonement  of  Christ,  and  His  justice  against  us  satisfied 
by  our  acceptance  of  that  atonement,  no  further  demand 
would  have  been  made  for  satisfaction.  But  that  atone- 
ment being  rejected,  the  justice  of  God  enforces  its  claim 
against  all  the  rejecters  of  His  love  by  those  terrible  in- 
flictions of  divine  judgment  which  we  have  described;  and 
when  it  does  so,  whatever  men  may  now  think  or  say, 
the  heavenly  host  will  exclaim,  "  Righteous  art  thou,  0 
Lord,  which  art  and  wast  and  shall  be,  because  thou  hast 
judged  thus;  just  and  true  are  thy  judgments,  THOU 
KING  OF  SAINTS  " 


LECTURE    VIII. 

THE    BATTLE     OF     ARMAGEDDON. 

"And  the  sixth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  great  river  Euphrates, 
that  the  way  of  the  kings  of  the  East  might  be  prepared.  And  I  saw  three 
unclean  spirits  like  frogs  come  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  dragon,  and  out  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Beast,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  false  Prophet ;  for 
they  are  the  spirits  of  devils,  working  miracles,  which  go  forth  to  the  kings 
of  the  earth,  and  of  the  whole  world,  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of  the 
great  day  of  God  Almighty.  Behold,  I  come  as  a  thief.  Blessed  is  he  that 
watch eth,  and  keepeth  his  garments,  lest  he  walk  naked  and  they  see  his 
shame.  And  he  gathered  them  together  into  a  place  called,  in  the  Hebrew 
tongue,  Armageddon.  And  the  seventh  angel  poured  out  his  vial  in  the  air; 
and  there  came  a  great  voice  out  of  the  temple  of  heaven,  from  the  throne, 
saying,  It  is  done.  And  there  were  voices,  and  thunderings,  and  lightnings, 
and  a  great  earthquake,  such  as  was  not  since  men  were  upon  the  earth,  so 
mighty  an  earthquake,  and  so  great.  And  the  great  city  was  divided  into 
three  parts,  and  the  cities  of  the  nations  fell ;  and  great  Babylon  came  in 
remembrance  before  God,  to  give  unto  her  the  cup  of  the  wine  of  the  fierce- 
ness of  His  wrath.  And  every  island  fled  away,  and  the  mountains  were 
not  found.  And  there  fell  upon  men  a  great  hail  out  of  heaven,  every  stone 
about  the  weight  of  a  talent,  and  men  blasphemed  God  because  of  the  hail, 
for  the  plague  thereof  was  exceeding  great." — REVELATIONS,  xvL  12-21. 

THE  holy  Scriptures,  which  contain  a  record  of  the 
first  regular  battle  that  was  ever  fought  among  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth,  foretell  also  the  last  great  conflict  that 
shall  take  place;  and  what  is  remarkable  is  that  the  scene 
of  both  is  laid  in  the  Holy  Land.  In  the  days  of  Abra- 
ham, just  after  he  had  settled  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
(having  at  the  call  of  God  left  the  land  of  his  birth,)  a 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  161 

war  broke  out  (the  first  we  read  of  in  history,)  between 
four  nations  lying  at  the  north  and  east  of  Palestine, 
and  five  lying  to  the  south-east.  The  former  invaded  the 
territory  of  the  latter,  and  overthrew  them.  Genesis,  xiv. 
In  their  discomfiture,  Lot,  the  nephew  of  Abraham,  was 
taken  prisoner  and  carried  away  captive,  which,  when 
Abraham  heard  of,  he  armed  all  his  hired  servants,  in 
number  three  hundred  and  eighteen,  pursued  after  and 
overtook  them,  and  rescued  Lot  and  all  his  goods.  On  his 
return  from  this  purguit,  he  was  met  by  Melchisedek, 
one  of  the  most  illustrious  of  the  types  of  Christ,  and 
blessed ;  which  Melchisedek  was  not  only  Priest  of  the 
Most  High  God,  but  also  King  of  Salem,  which  is  King 
of  Peace. 

In  the  last  conflict,  which  shall  take  place  in  that 
same  land,  the  true  Melchisedek,  Priest  of  the  Most  High 
God,  and  Prince  of  Peace,  will  also  appear  to  give  deliv- 
erance to  the  seed  of  Abraham  from  their  oppressors,  as 
we  shall  more  fully  see  in  the  sequel.  Strange  that  the 
storm  of  war,  which  first  burst  upon  our  world  in  that 
land  of  so  many  wonders,  should,  after  having  swept  over 
the  whole  surface  of  the  globe  for  so  many  ages,  with  in- 
creasing violence  return  and  spend  its  fury  in  the  same 
region  where  it  begun  !  In  our  last  discourse,  we  treated 
of  the  calamities  which  would  befall  the  nations  of  the 
world  at  the  close  of  this  dispensation.  We  referred  to 
the  social  and  moral  disorders  which  would  then  prevail, 
the  civil  and  political  disturbances  which  would  every- 
where break  out,  the  temporal  calamities,  of  pestilence, 
famine,  earthquake,  whirlwind,  and  tempests,  with  vari- 
ous other  plagues,  which  would  fall  upon  a  guilty  world. 


162  THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON. 

We  also  referred  to  the  wars  which  would  spring  up  out 
of  that  universal  discord  which  would  everywhere  exist. 
But  there  is  one  act  in  these  last  scenes  of  an  expiring 
dispensation  which  surpasses  all  the  rest  in  awe-inspiring 
terror  and  terrific  horror;  it  may  he  called  the  GRAND 
FINALE  of  this  reign  of  terror,  when  men's  hearts  begin 
to  fail  them  for  looking  upon  the  things  which  are  com- 
ing on  the  earth.  That  act  is  the  fearful  conflict  between 
three  opposing  interests  which  will  then  divide  and  em- 
brace the  whole,  or  nearly  the  whoJe,  of  mankind,  and  it 
is  commonly  called  the  Battle  of  Armageddon.  In  deal- 
ing with  unfulfilled  Prophecy,  so  marked  an  event  in  the 
future  could  not  escape  our  attention,  nor  with  propriety 
be  passed  over  ;  and  however  forbidding  the  prospect  and 
unpleasant  the  theme,  yet  if  we  will  be  followers  of  God's 
revealed  will,  whether  in  the  present,  the  past,  or  the  fu- 
ture, we  must  take  note  of  events  and  things  as  they  are, 
have  been,  or  will  be,  and  not  seek  to  shape  them  accord- 
ing to  our  own  fancies  or  wills. 

The  Prophecy  before  us  is  without  question  an  unful- 
filled one,  and  in  attempting  to  unfold  it  we  shall  rely 
entirely  upon  those  lights  which  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  throw  upon  it,  by  collecting  together  those 
testimonies  which  the  prophets  of  the  former  dispensa- 
tion furnish  for  its  elucidation.  The  seer  of  Patmos,  to 
whom  was  shown  in  vision  the  great  events  which  should 
precede  the  second  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man,  informs 
us,  chapter  xv.  1,  that  he  saw  a  great  and  marvelous 
sign,  seven  angels  having  the  seven  last  plagues,  to  pour 
out  upon  the  earth,  for  in  them  is  filled  up  the  wrath  of 
God;  in  other  words,  that  all  His  vengeance  upon  the 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  163 

wicked  would  be  finished  when  they  were  emptied. 
The  first  five  of  these  vials  were  enumerated  in  our  last 
discourse,  to  show  what  a  succession  of  calamities  shall 
fall  upon  the  world  hefore  the  final  stroke  of  vengeance 
is  given.  The  sixth  and  seventh  vials  inaugurate  the 
closing  scene.  "  The  sixth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon 
the  great  river  Euphrates,  and  the  water  thereof  was 
dried  up,  that  the  way  of  the  kings  of  the  East  might 
be  prepared." 

In  our  discourse  upon  the  return  of  the  ten  lost  tribes 
of  Israel,  it  may  be  remembered  that  we  showed  that 
these  tribes,  in  their  journey  to  the  east,  according  to  the 
testimony  of  the  Prophet  Ezra,  crossed  the  narrow  passes 
of  the  Euphrates,  for  the  Lord  held  still  the  flood  till 
they  were  passed  over,  and  from  thence  went  into  a  far 
country  of  a  year  and  a  half  s  journey,  where  they  dwelt 
until  the  latter  time  ;  and  that  when  they  should  return, 
the  Most  High  would  stay  the  springs  of  the  stream 
again  that  they  might  pass  over.  This  we  regard  as  the 
key  which  unlocks  the  mystery  of  the  sixth  vial.  It  is 
proper  to  remark,  however,  that  many  commentators  re- 
gard the  Euphrates  as  a  symbol  of  the  Turkish  power, 
and  the  pouring  out  of  the  sixth  vial  upon  it,  by  which 
the  waters  thereof  are  dried  up,  as  merely  the  gradual 
exhaustion  ot  that  power  by  the  judgments  of  Grod. 
This  opinion  they  derive  chiefly  from  the  message  given 
to  the  angel  that  sounded  the  sixth  trumpet,  in  chapter 
ix.,  verse  14.  That  message  was,  "  Loose  the  four  angels 
which  are  bound  in  the  river  Euphrates  ;  and  the  four 
angels  were  loosed,  which  were  prepared  for  an  hour,  and 
a  day,  and  a  month  and  a  year,  to  slay  the  third  part  of 


164  THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON. 

men.  And  the  number  of  the  army  of  the  horsemen 
was  two  hundred  thousand  thousand."  The  Turkish 
power  originated  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates.  It 
was  first  divided  into  four  sultanies,  viz.,  Bagdad,  Alep- 
po, Damascus,  and  Oesarea.  These  continued  then- 
ravages  and  conquests  toward  Europe,  until  they 
were  finally  united  in  one  power  by  Othman  the  First, 
the  founder  of  the  present  Ottoman  power.  From  the 
capture  of  Bagdad  by  the  Turks,  in  1057,  which  com- 
pleted the  overthrow  of  the  Saracens,  until  the  capture 
of  Constantinople,  in  1453,  which  overthrew  the  Greek 
empire,  was  three  hundred  and  ninety-six  years.  The 
exact  prophetical  time  of  a  day,  i.  e.,  one  year ;  a  month, 
thirty  years  ;  and  a  year,  three  hundred  and  sixty-five, 
equal  to  three  hundred  and  ninety-six  years. 

Now  the  loosing  of  the  four  angels  from  the  river  Eu- 
phrates, being  understood  of  the  irruption  of  those  Turk- 
ish hordes  which  swarmed  from  that  direction  toward 
Europe,  and  finally  invaded  and  took  possession  of  a 
large  portion  of  it,  the  pouring  out  of  the  sixth  vial 
upon  the  river  Euphrates  is  supposed  to  mean  also  a 
judgment  upon  the  same  people  and  power ;  but  this 
does  not  follow.  The  Euphrates  is  not  necessarily  a  sym- 
bol in  either  case.  It  only  describes  a  LOCALITY,  and 
we  think  is  not  to  be  used  in  any  other  than  its  natural 
sense  in  either  place. 

But  with  the  drying  up  of  the  Euphrates  under  the 
sixth  vial,  two  events  of  great  importance  take  place  ; 
first,  the  kings  of  the  East  come  forth,  which  we  have 
before  applied  to  the  ten  tribes ;  second,  three  unclean 
spirits  go  forth  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Dragon,  the 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  165 

Beast,  and  the  False  Prophet.  Concerning  the  kings  of 
the  East,  we  shall  add  nothing  to  what  we  have  already 
said  in  the  third  lecture  ;  but  of  the  Dragon,  the  Beast, 
and  the  False  Prophet  we  must  now  give  some  account. 

1.  In  chapter  xii.,  Saint  John  saw  a  great  red  Dragon, 
with   seven  heads  and  ten    horns,  and   crowns   on  the 
heads,  standing  before  a  woman,  ready  to  devour  a  man- 
child  which  she  brought  forth,  who  was  to  rule  all  na- 
tionSo    The  woman  fled  into  the  wilderness,  and  the  man- 
child  was  caught  up  to  God  and  His  throne.     By  this 
we  may  understand  the  Pagan  Roman   empire,  in  the 
person  of  Herod  seeking  the  life  of  the  infant  Jesus,  who 
was  saved  by  His  mother  fleeing  into  Egypt,  and  our 
Lord  at  last,  when  He  had  finished  His  work,  ascended 
to  heaven,  i.  e.,  was  caught  up  to  the  throne  of  God.     It 
is  a  remarkable  fact  that  a  great  red  dragon  was  a  sym- 
bolic representation  of  the  Roman  power  in  its  Pagan 
state  ;   and   not   only  so,  but   dragon   forms   have   ever 
been  favorite  symbols  among  Pagan  nations,  of  which 
we  may  see  abundant  proof  to   this  day  in  that  great 
stronghold  of  Paganism,  the  Chinese  empire,  where  the 
figure-heads  of  their  vessels,  paintings  on  their  walls,  and 
the  statues  in  their  temples,  partake  more  or  less  of  the 
basilisk  and   dragon-like  forms.     It  would  seem,  then, 
that  by  the  Dragon  in  our  text  is  meant  Paganism,  or 
the  heathen  world. 

2.  In  chapter  xiii.,  Saint  John  saw  a  Beast  rise  out  of 
the  sea,  having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  and  crowns 
on  the  horns;  and  on  his  heads  the  name  of  Blasphemy  ; 
and  the  Dragon  gave  him  his  power,  and  his  seat,  and 
great  authority. 


166  THE   BATTLE   OF   AEMAGEDDON. 

After  the  fall  of  the  Pagan  Koman  empire,  Satan 
managed  still  to  concentrate  and  perpetuate  his  tyranny 
in  the  Eternal  City,  and  over  Europe,  hy  ten  kingdoms 
which  sprang  up  after  the  irruption  of  the  northern  barbar- 
ism, which  finally  were  united  under  one  head,  viz.,  the 
Papal  power.  The  civil  power  of  the  Caesars,  (first  con- 
centrated in  Borne,  and  expressed  by  the  seven  crowns 
ON  THE  HEADS),  being  now  distributed  and  divided 
among  the  European  states,  is  desciibed  by  the  trans- 
fer of  the  crowns  to  the  horns  ;  yet  Rome,  under  the 
Popes,  ruled  Europe  (although  subdivided  into  king- 
doms) with  as  strong  a  hand  as  when  united  under 
the  Csesars. 

In  chapter  xvii.  Saint  John  had  another  vision.  He  saw 
a  scarlet-colored  beast,  full  of  names  of  blasphemy,  hav- 
ing seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  (the  same  old  enemy  in 
a  new  disguise,)  but  now  crowns  on  neither  heads  nor 
horns,  and  carrying  a  woman  arrayed  in  a  purple  and 
scarlet  color,  and  decked  with  gold  and  precious  stones, 
having  in  her  hand  a  cup  full  of  abomination,  and  on  her 
forehead  a  name  written,  Mystery,  Babylon  the  Great, 
Mother  of  Harlots  and  Abomination  of  the  Earth.  This 
beast,  (which  we  regard  as  the  last  head  of  the  Roman 
empire,)  is,  we  think,  that  great  infidel  power  with  which 
the  Papal  Church  is  to  be  (for  a  time)  brought  into  some 
kind  of  coalition  or  dependence,  for  "  he  carries  her;" 
and  is  also  the  Beast  spoken  of  in  our  text. 

3.  The  False  Prophet.  By  this,  in  one  word,  we  un- 
derstand the  Mohammedan  delusion. 

Now,  out  of  the  mouth  of  these  (the  Beast,  the  False 
Prophet,  and  the  Dragon,)  go  forth  three  unclean  spirits, 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  167 

SPIRITS  OF  DEVILS,  working  miracles,  to  gather 
together  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  whole 
world,  to  the  battle  of  the  GREAT  DAY  OF  GOD 
ALMIGHTY.  Paganism,  embracing  the  whole  heathen 
world  •  Christianity,  embracing  Romanism,  hydra-headed 
Protestantism,  and  every  thing  nominally  Christian  ;  and 
Mohammedanism,  including  all  the  followers  of  the  false 
Apostle  of  Mecca,  represent  the  three  great  predominating 
interests  of  the  world.  Paganism,  though  numerically 
the  strongest,  is  comparatively  the  weakest  for  either 
assault  or  defense  ;  Christianity,  embracing  every  thing 
that  bears  the  name,  is  the  most  aggressive  ;  and  Mo- 
hammedanism, for  a  century  past,  has  been  stationary. 

But  a  mighty  stirring  up  of  the  slumbering  energies 
of  these  three  powers,  and  a  clashing  of  their  interests,  is 
foretold  in  our  text.  Three  unclean  spirits  shall  proceed 
out  of  their  mouths,  spirits  of  devils,  working  miracles, 
operating  upon  both  their  credulity  and  enthusiasm, 
their  faith  and  zeal,  and  arousing  them  to  battle,  each 
for  their  cause  :  Paganism  for  its  idols  ;  Mohammedan- 
ism for  its  Koran  ;  and  nominal  Christianity,  far  sunk 
into  infidelity,  for  the  blasphemies  of  the  Man  of  Sin, 
the  Antichrist  to  come.  This  conflict  shall  be  no  ordi- 
nary one,  but  the  most  extraordinary  that  ever  took 
place.  Hence  it  is  called  the  battle  of  that  GREAT 
DAY  OF  GOD  ALMIGHTY,  because  He  shall  take 
a  part  in  it  ;  for  while  He  turns  their  weapons  against 
each  other  for  mutual  destruction,  He  shall  also  hurl 
upon  them  weapons  which  they  had  not  expected,  and 
from  whose  crushing  power  there' shall  be  no  escape. 

Almost  all  the  prophets  speak  of  a  period  which  they 


168  THE    BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON. 

call  "THE  DAY  OF  THE  LOKD,"  and  which  they 
all  describe  as  being  one  of  most  terrible  calamity  to 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  Let  us  collect  their  testimony, 
and  see  how  it  bears  upon  the  passage  before  us. 

The  Prophet  Isaiah  says,  chapter  ii.  10,  "  Enter  thee 
into  the  rock  and  hide  thee,  for  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and 
for  the  glory  of  His  majesty.  For  the  day  of  the  Lord 
of  Hosts  shall  be  upon  every  one  that  is  proud  and  lofty, 
upon  every  one  that  is  lifted  up,  and  upon  all  high  moun- 
tains, and  upon  all  the  hills  that  are  lifted  up,  and  upon 
every  high  tower,  and  upon  every  fenced  wall,  and  upon 
all  the  ships  of  Tarshish  ;  and  the  loftiness  of  man  shall 
be  bowed  down,  and  the  haughtiness  of  men  be  made 
low  ;  and  the  Lord  alone  shall  be  exalted  in  that  day." 

The  Prophet  Ezeldel,  xxx.  3,  says,  "Howl  ye,  woe 
worth  the  day.  For  THE  DAY  OF  THE  LORD  is  near  ; 
it  shall  be  the  time  of  the  heathen/' 

The  Prophet  Joel  says,  iii.  14,  "  Multitudes,  multi- 
tudes, in  the  valley  of  decision  ;  for  THE  DAY  OF  THE 
LORD  is  near  in  the  valley  of  decision." 

The  Prophet  Amos  says,  chapter  v.  18,  "  Woe  unto 
you  that  desire  THE  DAY  OF  THE  LORD  !  To  what  end 
is  it  for  you  ?  THE  DAY  OF  THE  LORD  is  darkness  and 
not  light  ;  as  if  a  man  did  flee  from  a  lion,  and  a  bear 
met  him  ;  or  went  into  the  house  and  leaned  his  hand 
on  the  wall,  and  a  serpent  bit  him.  THE  DAY  OF  THE 
LORD  shall  be  very  dark,  and  no  brightness  in  it." 

The  Prophet  Obadiah  says,  verse  15,  "  THE  DAY  OF 
THE  LORD  is  near  upon  all  the  heathen  :  as  thou  hast 
done,  so  shall  it  be  done  unto  thee  ;  thy  reward  shall 
return  on  thine  own  head.  For  as  ye  have  drunk  upon 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ARMAGEDDON.         169 

my  holy  mountain,  so  shall  all  the  heathen  drink  con- 
tinually ;  yea,  they  shall  drink,  they  shall  swallow  down, 
and  be  as  though  they  had  not  been." 

The  Prophet  Zephaniah,  i.  7-14,  says,  "Hold  thy  peace 
at  the  presence  of  the  Lord  God,  for  the  DAY  OF  THE 
LORD  is  at  hand,  it  hasteth  greatly;  that  day  is  a  day  of 
wrath,  of  trouble  and  distress,  of  darkness  and  gloomi- 
ness, of  wasting  and  desolation;  a  day  of  trumpet  and 
alarm"  etc. 

The  Prophet  Zechariah,  says,  xiv.  1,  "  Behold  the 
DAY  OF  THE  LORD  cometh,  and  thy  spoil  shall  be  divided 
in  the  midst  of  thee,  for  I  will  gather  all  nations  to  bat- 
tle/' etc. 

The  Prophet  Malachi,  says,  iv.  1-5,  "  Behold  the  day 
cometh  that  shall  burn  as  an  oven,  and  all  the  proud  and 
all  that  do  wickedly  shall  be  as  stubble;  and  the  day 
cometh  that  shall  burn  them  up,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts; 
it  shall  not  leave  them  neither  root  nor  branch;"  and  to 
show  what  day  this  is,  he  immediately  adds,  "  Behold,  I 
will  send  you  the  Prophet  Elijah  before  the  coming  of 
that  great  and  dreadful  DAY  OF  THE  LORD,  and  he 
shall  turn,"  etc. 

Now  from  these  passages  referred  to,  can  not  every 
one  see  that  almost  all  the  Old  Testament  prophets  hold 
up  before  us  a  period  yet  future  of  the  most  unparalleled 
tribulation  and  wrath  upon  all  nations,  and  that  they 
especially  designate  it  hy  the  name  of  the  DAY  OF  THE 
LORD,  and  the  New  Testament  writers  refer  to  it  by  the 
same  title  ? 

Saint  Paul,  1  Corinthians,  v.  5,  speaks  of  one  being  de- 
livered to  Satan  for  the  destruction  of  the  flesh,  that  the 

8 


170          THE  BATTLE  OF  ARMAGEDDON. 

spirit  may  be  saved  in  the  DAY  OF  THE  LORD  JESUS; 
and  in  2  Thessalonians,  v.  2,  lie  says,  "  THE  DAY  OF 
THE  LORD  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night ;"  which  re- 
markably corresponds  with  our  text — for  immediately 
after  it  is  announced  that  three  unclean  spirits  out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Beast,  False  Prophet  and  Dragon  go  forth 
to  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of  the  whole  world  to  gath- 
er them  together  unto  the  battle  of  the  GREAT  DAY 
OF  GOD  ALMIGHTY,  it  is  added,  verse  15,  "Behold 
I  come  as  a  thief!"  Saint  Peter  referring  to  if,  iii.  4, 
says,  u  the  DAT  OF  THE  LORD  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the 
night;"  and  Saint  Paul  calls  it,  2  Thessalonians,  ii.  2, 
THE  DAY  OF  CHRIST;  and  Saint  James,  v.  2,  the  coming 
of  the  Lord,  i.  e.,  the  day  of  His  coming. 

Now  when  we  look  into  the  prophets  to  see  what  shall 
be  the  transactions  of  that  day,  we  find  them  to  be  VEN- 
GEANCE upon  Chr.'st's  enemies,  DESTRUCTION  of  the 
wicked,  the  SLAUGHTER  of  His/oe*,  and  the  OVER- 
THROW of  all  ungodliness  and  opposition  to  His  power. 

The  object  of  gathering  them  together  in  one  place, 
seems  to  be  to  make  one  general  and  final  action  of 
judgment  upon  the  whole  world,  such  as  shall  effectu- 
ally overthrow  the  kingdom  of  Satan  and  establish  the 
dominion  of  Christ.  Hear  the  description  of  the  Prophet 
Joel,  iii.  9,  of  the  battle  of  the  GREAT  DAY  OF  GOD 
ALMIGHTY:  "Proclaim  ye  this  among  the  Gentiles; 
prepare  war,  wake  up  the  mighty  men;  let  all  the  men 
of  war  draw  near,  let  them  come  up;  beat  your  plow- 
shares into  swords,  and  your  pruning  hooks  into  spears  ; 
assemble  yourselves,  and  come,  all  ye  heathen;  let  them 
be  awakened,  and  come  into  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat, 


THE   BATTLE    OF   ARMAGEDDON.  171 

for  there  will  I  sit  to  JUDGE  all  the  heathen  round  about. 
Multitudes,  multitudes,  in  the  valley  of  decision,  for  the 
DAY  OF  THE  LORD  is  near  in  the  valley  of  decision/' 
You  will  perceive  from  this  prophecy,  that  the  DAY  OF 
THE  LORD  is  called  a  DAY  OF  JUDGMENT,  when  the  wick- 
ed are  overthrown  ;  but  he  adds,  t(  the  Lord  will  be  the 
hope  of  His  people,  and  the  strength  of  the  children  of 
Israel."  Also,  that  this  day  of  the  Lord  is  called  in  the 
New  Testament,  the  day  of  Christ,  and  the  day  of  His 
coming;  and  by  our  Lord  Himself,  Luke,  xvii.  30,  the 
day  when  the  SON  OF  MAN  SHALL  BE  REVEALED. 

That  Christ  will  come  again  to  judge  the  world,  is  an 
article  of  the  Apostolic  creed  which  all  Christians  believe. 
But  when  this  second  coming  shall  take  place,  and  what 
shall  be  the  character  of  the  judgment  then  executed, 
whether  UNIVERSAL  and  FINAL,  upon  all  that  have  ever 
lived  and  are  then  alive  ;  or  only  upon  the  then  LIVING 
and  RIGHTEOUS  DEAD,  have  long  been  matters  of  contro- 
versy. For  ourselves,  we  are  firmly  of  the  opinion,  that 
the  entire  work  of  the  judgment  of  the  whole  human  race 
is  not  completed  in  ONE  ACT,  or  at  ONE  and  the  SAME 
TIME,  but  that  there  are  TWO  separate  and  distinct  acts, 
the  one  at  the  BEGINNING,  and  the  other  at  the  END  of 
the  millennium.  Whoever  will  compare  the  account  of 
the  judgment  given  by  our  Lord  in  Matthew,  xxv.  31-46, 
with  that  recorded  in  Revelations,  xx.  11-15,  will,  we 
think,  perceive  that  they  refer  to  different  times  and  dif- 
ferent events.  The  former  takes  place  at  His  coming  to 
set  up  His  kingdom  on  the  earth,  the  latter,  after  that 
kingdom  has  existed  a  thousand  years.  The  first  is  a 
judgment  upon  the  NATIONS, which  He  will  then  gather 


172  THE   BATTLE    OF    ARMAGEDDON. 

before  Him,  as  foretold  in  Joel,  iii.  12,  Zechariah  xiv. 
12,  the  second,  upon  those  who  have  been  in  their  graves 
for  ages;  for  the  sea  will  then  give  up  its  dead,  and  death 
and  hell  will  deliver  up  the  dead  which  are  in  them. 
Now  the  action  described  in  Matthew,  xxv.,  we  under- 
stand to  be  that  referred  to  in  our  text,  with  only  this 
addition.  Our  text  informs  us  by  what  agency  all  na- 
tions shall  be  gathered  before  Him,  viz.,  by  the  three  un- 
clean spirits  which  shall  go  forth  to  gather  the  kings  of 
the  earth  and  of  the  whole  world  unto  the  battle  of  the 
GREAT  DAY.  Both  places  declare  that  that  gathering 
shall  be  at  the  time  of  His  second  coining. 

National  sins  can  only  be  punished  while  nations  exist 
as  such.  Their  political  offenses,  which  are  committed 
in  an  associated  capacity,  to  be  punished,  must  find  them 
still  existing  in  that  capacity.  Individual  sins  may  be 
punished  ages  after  death. 

This  gathering  of  the  nations  to  judgment,  (we  will 
also  find,)  is  spoken  of  by  almost  all  the  prophets.  In 
Isaiah.  Ixv.  18,  the  Lord  says,  "For  I  know  their 
works  and  their  thoughts.  It  shall  come  to  pass  that  I 
will  gather  all  nations  and  tongues,  and  they  shall  come 
and  see  my  glory  ;  for  behold  the  Lord  will  crime  with  fire, 
and  with  His  chariots,  like  a  whirlwind,  to  render  His 
anger  with  fury,  and  His  rebukes  with  flames  of  fire  ;  for 
by  fire  and  by  His  sword  shall  the  Lord  plead  with  all 
flesh,  and  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  many." 

The  Prophet  Jeremiah,  xxv.  26,  speaks  of  the  same 
gathering,  when  the  wine  cup  of  the  Lord's  fury  shall  be 
given  to  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  which  are  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  and  they  shall  drink,  and  be  moved, 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  173 

and  be  mad,  and  fall  and  rise  no  more,  because  of  the 
sword  which  He  will  send  among  them,  and  the  slain  of 
the  Lord  shall  be  from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other, 
as  was  shown  in  our  previous  discourse. 

The  Prophet  Ezekiel,  xlix.  17,  refers  to  it  under  the 
figure  of  a  great  feast  which  is  made  to  every  feathered 
fowl,  and  every  beast  of  the  field,  which  are  invited  to  a 
great  sacrifice  which  the  Lord  will  make  on  the  moun- 
tains of  Israel,  that  they  may  eat  the  flesh  of  mighty 
men,  and  drink  the  blood  of  the  princes  of  the  earth,  and 
be  filled  at  His  table  with  horses,  and  with  all  men  of 
war,  saith  the  Lord  God,  when  all  the  heathen  shall  see 
His  judgments  which  He  has  executed,  and  His  hand 
which  He  has  laid  on  them. 

The  Prophet  Daniel,  ii.  34,  35,  refers  to  it  when  He 
describes  a  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountains  without  hands 
as  smiting  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  and  dissolving 
and  scattering  them  as  the  dust  of  a  summer  threshing 
floor. 

The  Prophet  Joel  declares  it  in  a  passage  we  have 
already  quoted,  iii.  12:  "Let  the  heathen  be  waked  up 
and  come  to  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  for  there  will  I 
sit  to  judge  all  the  heathen  round  about." 

The  Prophet  Zephaniah,  iii.  8,  says,  "  Therefore  wait 
ye  upon  me,  saith  the  Lord,  until  the  day  that  I  rise  up 
to  the  prey,  for  my  determination  is  to  gather  the  nations, 
that  I  may  assemble  the  kingdoms,  to  pour  out  on  them 
mine  indignation,  even  all  my  fierce  anger,  for  all  the 
earth  shall  be  devoured  with  the  fury  of  my  jealousy/' 

The  Prophet.  Zechariah,  xiv.  says,  "  I  will  gather  all 
nations  against  Jerusalem  to  battle  ;  then  shall  the 


174  THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON. 

Lord  go  forth  and  fight  against  those  nations,  as  when  He 
fought  in  the  clay  of  battle  '"  and  our  text  says  three  un- 
clean spirits  went  forth  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Dragon, 
and  of  the  Beast,  and  of  the  False  Prophet,  to  gather 
together  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  whole  world 
to  the  battle  of  the  GREAT  DAY  OF  GOD  ALMIGHTY.  Do 
not  all  perceive  how  the  prophets  refer  to  the  event  which 
our  text  announces  ?  and  in  ITS  accomplishment  THEIR 
predictions  will  also  find  their  fulfillment. 

When  the  Old  Testament  prophets  and  the  Apostle 
John  uttered  their  predictions  of  this  last  great  conflict, 
the  Beast  and  False  Prophet  were  not  yet  in  existence  ; 
only  the  Dragon,  or  Pagan  idolatry,  had  a  being.  Since 
that  period,  they  have  come  upon  the  stage  of  action,  and 
grown  to  be  mighty  powers  on  the  earth  ;  but  yet  the 
Dragon  still,  in  point  of  numbers,  exceeds  them  both. 
Now  when  the  time  for  action  shall  come,  their  ancient 
hostility,  which  has  slumbered,  and  been,  as  it  were, 
smothered  for  a  long  time,  shall  burst  out  anew,  and 
they  shall  rush  to  arms. 

The  prophet  in  our  text  next  mentions  a  circumstance 
with  regard  to  this  battle  which  shows  that  a  real  and 
physical  or  military  conflict  is  meant,  viz.,  its  location. 
HE  GATHERED  THEM,  (not  the  unclean  spirits,)  but  the 
ARMIES  together  into  a  place  called,  in  the  Hebrew  tongue, 
Armageddon.  The  literal  meaning  of  this  word  is  the 
mountain  of  Meggido.  Megiddon  was  in  ancient  times 
a  city  in  a  great  plain  at  the  foot  of  mount  Carmel.  It 
is  celebrated  in  sacred  story  as  the  scene  of  some  very 
remarkable  battles.  In  the  division  of  the  Holy  Land 
among  the  twelve  tribes  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  half  tribe 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  175 

of'Manasseh  as  we  read  Joshua,  xvii.  11.  It  was  there  that 
Deborah  and  Barak  defeated  Sisera  with  a  great  slaugh- 
ter. There  Pharaoh  Necho,  and  Josiah,  king  of  Judah, 
met,  when  the  later  was  slain.  According:  to  the  best 
geographers,  the  ancient  Megiddo  stood  in  what  is  now 
known  as  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelori,  midway  between 
the  sea  of  Galilee  and  the  Mediterranean.  It  is  supposed 
to  be  also  the  same  place  that  was  formerly  called  Jez- 
reel,  where  GUeon  with  his  three  hundred  men.  who  first 
brake  their  lamps  and  pitchers,  next  attacked  and  dis- 
comfited the  immense  hosts  of  the  Midianites  and 
Amalekites,  Judges,  vii.  33,  when  the  Lord  turned  the 
sword  of  each  against  his  fellows  and  entirely  overthrew 
them,  vii.  22  ;  here,  also,  Jezebel,  the  wife  of  Ahab,  the 
vilest  of  women,  and  most  bitter  foe  of  the  God  of  Israel, 
was  eaten  of  dogs  «nnd  miserably  perished,  2  Kings, 
ix.  36  ;  and  here  the  seventy  sons  of  Ahab  were  slain  by 
Jehu,  son  of  Nimshi,  who  was  raised  up  of  God  to  cut  off 
the  wicked  house  of  Ahab,  2  Kings,  x:  11.  The  Proph- 
et Hosea,  i.  10,  11,  foretelling  the  restoration  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  also  connects 
it  with  some  act  of  judgment  upon  their  foes,  for  he  adds, 
"  great  shall  be  the  day  of  Jezreel,"  as  if  some  decisive 
action  should  here  take  place  which  should  change  the 
state  of  affairs  throughout  the  world  for  their  benefit. 

Now  the  battle  of  Armageddon  shall  not  only  be  re- 
markable for  the  extent  of  its  slaughter,  (which  shall  be 
incalculable,)  but  especially  for  the  manner  in  which  that 
slaughter  shall  be  effected.  The  Prophet  Zechariah  says, 
xiv.  3,  "  Then  shall  the  Lord  go  forth  and  fight  against 
those  nations,  as  when  He  fought  in  the  day  of  battle." 


176  THE   BATTLE    OF   ARMAGEDDON. 

How  the  Lord  has  fought  in  times  past  against  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  we  may  learn  from  His  Word.  In  the  bat- 
tle between  Samuel  and  the  Philistines,  recorded  in  1 
Samuel,  vii.  10,  we  learn  that  the  Lord  thundered  with 
a  great  thunder  on  them,  and  discomfited  them — proba- 
bly by  the  lightning  which  usually  accompanies  thunder. 

In  the  battle  between  Joshua  and  the  five  kings  of  the 
Amorites,  the  Lord  cast  down  great  stones  from  heaven 
upon  them,  and  there  were  more  that  died  from  the  hail- 
stones than  the  children  of  Israel  slew.  Joshua,  x.  11. 

When  Kabshakeh,  captain  of  the  host  of  Assyria, 
made  war  upon  Hezekiah,  king  of  Judah,  (2  Kings, 
xix.  3,)  and  invaded  his  land,  Hezekiah  called  on  the 
Lord  for  deliverance,  and  the  Lord  sent  an  angel,  who 
slew  in  one  night  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand 
of  his  army,  who,  in  the  morning,  were  all  found  dead 
corpses.  By  some  pestilence,  or  other  mortal  stroke,  (for 
the  Lord  has  various  secret  weapons  in  store  for  His  ene- 
mies,) was  this  judgment  inflicted. 

In  the  battle  between  Gideon  and  the  Amalekites  and 
Midianites,  (Judges3  vii.  22,)  He  set  each  man's  sword 
against  his  fellow,  and  they  destroyed  one  another. 

But  in  this  battle  of  the  GREAT  DAY  OF  GOD  AL- 
MIGHTY, it  would  seem  that  all  these  modes  of  destruc- 
tion will  be  employed,  for  our  text  says,  describing  this 
battle  of  Armageddon,  "  There  were  thunderings  and 
lightnings,  and  a  great  earthquake,  such  as  was  not 
since  men  were  upon  the  earth,  so  mighty  an  earth- 
quake, and  so  great  ;  and  there  fell  upon  men  a  great 
hail  out  of  heaven,  every  stone  about  the  weight  of  a 
talent."  And  the  Prophet  Zechariah  describing  this 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  177 

same  event,  a  When  the  Lord  shall  go  forth  and  fight 
against  those  nations,  as  when  He  fought  in  the  day  of 
battle,"  says,  xiv.  12-14,  "  This  shall  he  the  plague 
wherewith  the  Lord  will  smite  them  :  their  flesh  shall 
consume  away  while  they  stand  on  their  feet  ;  their  eyes 
shall  consume  away  in  their  holes,  and  their  tongues  shall 
consume  away  in  their  mouths  ;"  (a  stroke  from  God 
as  fatal  as  that  which  smote  the  Assyrians,)  "and  a 
great  tumult  from  the  Lord  shall  be  among  them,  and 
they  shall  lay  hold,  every  one  on  his  neighbor,  and  rise 
up  against  the  hand  of  his  neighbor  !"  In  the  Prophecy 
of  Ezekiel,  the  Lord  says,  xxxviii.  21,  "  I  will  call  for  a 
sword  against  him  throughout  all  my  mountains.  Every 
man's  sword  shall  be  against  his  brother.  And  I  will 
plead  against  him  with  pestilence  and  with  blood,  and 
I  will  rain  upon  him,  and  upon  his  bands,  and  upon  the 
many  people  with  him,  an  overflowing  rain,  and  great 
hailstones,  fire  and  brimstone,"  like  on  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah. So  that  the  occasional  judgments,  which  at 
different  periods  God  has  inflicted  on  His  foes,  are  but 
types  of  that  grand  final  outburst  of  His  fury,  when  He 
will  pour  out  all  the  vials  of  His  wrath  in  quick  succes- 
sion, and  overthrow  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth. 

The  text  next  informs  us  of  the  fate  of  the  great  capi- 
tals of  the  world,  verse  19.  The  great  city  Jerusalem 
was  divided  into  three  parts,  (compare  Zechariah,  xiv.  4,) 
and  the  cities  of  the  nations  fell,  Paris,  London,  Vienna, 
Berlin,  etc.  ;  and  great  Babylon  (on  the  Tiber,  not  the 
Euphrates,)  came  up  in  remembrance  before  God,  to 
give  unto  her  the  cup  of  the  wine  of  the  fierceness  of 
His  wrath  ;  and  every  island  fled  away,*and  the  moun- 

8* 


178  THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON. 

tains  were  not  found  !  Nature  is  convulsed  at  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  ;  for,  if  strange  phenomena  occurred 
when  He  came  and  died  to  atone  for  sin,  what  may  we 
not  expect  when  He  comes  to  be  avenged  for  it  ?  Then 
the  earth  quaked,  the  rocks  rent,  the  graves  were  open- 
ed, and  the  sun  was  darkened  :  now,  there  shall  be  voices, 
and  thunders,  and  lightnings,  and  earthquakes,  and  a 
great  hail,  besides  the  desolations  of  famine,  plague,  and 
war. 

The  Prophet  Jeremiah  seems  to  have  had  a  vision  of 
the  scene  of  this  last  conflict  when,  in  chapter  iv.  19,  he 
exclaims,  "  My  bowels  !  my  bowels  !  I  am  pained  at 
my  very  heart  !  I  can  not  hold  my  peace,  because  thou 
hast  heard,  0  my  soul,  the  alarm  of  war  !  Destruction 
upon  destruction  is  cried  ;  for  the  whole  land  is  spoiled." 
And  he  continues,  "  I  beheld  the  earth  ;  and  ley it  was 
without  form  and  void  ;  and  the  heavens,  and  they  had 
no  light.  I  beheld  the  mountains,  and  lo,  they  trembled, 
and  all  the  hills  moved  lightly.  I  beheld,  and  lo,  there 
was  no  man,  and  all  the  birds  of  heaven  were  fled.  I 
beheld,  acd  lo,  the  fruitful  place  was  a  wilderness,  and 
all  the  cities  thereof  were  broken  down  at  the  presence 
of  the  Lord,  and  by  His  fierce  anger  ;  for  thus  hath  the 
Lord  said  to  me,  the  whole  land  shall  be  desolate,  yet 
will  I  not  make  a  full  end/' 

Read  the  still  more  sublime  description  of  this  event 
by  the  Prophet  Habakkuk,  Hi.':  "Before  Him  went  the 
pestilence,  and  burning  coals  went  forth  at  His  feet.  He 
stood,  and  measured  the  earth  ;  He  beheld,  and  drove 
asunder  the  nations.  The  mountains  saw  thee,  and 
trembled  ;  the  deep  uttered  his  voice,  and  lifted  up  his 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  179 

hands  on  high.  The  sun  and  moon  stood  still  in  their 
habitation  at  the  light  of  thine  arrows  :  they  went  at  the 
shining  of  thy  glittering  spear.  Thou  didst  march  through 
the  land"  i.e.,  Jerusalem,  "in  indignation.  Thou  didst 
thresh  the  heathen  in  anger.  Thou  wentest  forth  for 
the  salvation  of  thy  people,"  etc.  The  battle  of  Arma- 
geddon occurring  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  taking  place 
after  the  seed  of  Abraham  has  been  gathered  and  again 
settled  therein,  (vide  Zechariah,  xii.  13),  becomes  a  con- 
flict in  which  their  very  existence  as  a  nation  is  at  stake; 
when  the  Lord  appears  for  their  deliverance,  Ezekiel, 
xxxviii.  14-24,  and  for  the  overthrow  of  all  His  foes. 

The  last  description  which  is  given  of  it  in  Scripture 
is  in  chapter  xix.  of  Kevelations,  in  which  the  revelator 
says  :  u  I  saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white  horse, 
and  He  that  sat  upon  him  was  called  Faithful  and  True, 
and  in  righteousness  He  doth  judge  and  make  war.  His 
eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,  and  on  His  head  were  many 
crowns  ;  and  He  had  a  name  written  that  no  man  knew 
but  He  Himself;  and  He  was  clothed  with  a  vesture 
dipped  in  blood ;  and  His  name  is  called  the  WORD  OF 
GOD.  And  the  armies  which  were  in  heaven  followed 
Him  upon  white  horses,  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and 
clean  ;  and  out  of  His  mouth  goeth  a  sharp  sword,  that 
with  it  He  should  smite  the  NATIONS.  And  He  shall 
rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron;  and  He  treadeth  the  wine 
press  of  the  fierceness  and  wrath  of  Almighty  G-od.  And 
I  saw  an  angel  standing  in  the  sun  ;  and  he  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  saying  to  all  the  fowls  of  the  air,  Come  and 
gather  yourselves  together  to  the  supper  of  the  great 
God,  that  ye  may  eat  the  flesh  of  kings,  and  of  captains, 


180  THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON. 

and  of  mighty  men  ;  and  the  flesh  of  horses,  and  of  them 
that  sit  on  them  ;  and  the  flesh  of  ALL  MEN,  both  free 
and  bond;  both  small  and  great.    And  I  saw  the  Beast, 
and  kings  of  the  earth  and  their  armeis,  gathered  to- 
gether to  make  war  against  Him  that  sat  on  the  horse, 
and  against  His  army.     And  the  Beast  was  taken,  and 
with  him  the  False  Prophet,  and  they  were  cast  alive 
into  a   lake  of  fire,  burning  with  brimstone."     Imme- 
diately after  which  we  have  an  account  of  the  binding 
of  Satan,  and  his  casting  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  the 
establishment  of  Christ's  kingdom  and  reign  for  a  thou- 
sand years.     Is  not  this  the  same  event  to  which  our 
Saviour  alludes  in  Matthew,  xxv.,  where  He  says,  "  When 
the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  His  glory,  and  all  the  holy 
angels  with  Him,  (the  armies  of  heaven),  He  will  gather 
ALL  NATIONS  before  Him,  and  separate  them  asun- 
der, as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats ; 
and  will  say  to  them  on  the  right,  Come,  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world  ;   and  to  them  on  the  left, 
Depart,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the 
devil  and  his  angels  ?"    Here  is  precisely  the  doom  of  the 
Beast,  and  the  False  Prophet,  and  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
all  their  armies,  described  in  Revelations,  xix.,  and  the 
reward  of  His  saints  and  faithful  followers,  described  in 
Revelations,  xx.     So  that  the  battle  of  Armageddon,  or 
the  GREAT  DAY  OF  GOD  ALMIGHTY,  is  the  final  breaking 
up  of  that  long  course  of  policy  which  the  nations  of  the 
earth  have  pursued,  whereby  the  authority  of  Christ  and 
His  laws  has  been  ignored,  and  infidelity,  and  supersti- 
tion, and  tyranny  have  prevailed  over  all  mankind.    The 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON.  181 

aiders,  and  abettors,  and  upholders  of  these  different  sys- 
tems, in  their  last  great  struggle  to  sustain  them,  shall 
fall  on  the  plains  of  Armageddon,  and  with  their  fall 
shall  the  way  be  prepared  to  inaugurate  that  new  sys- 
tem of  righteousness,  and  truth,  and  peace,  which  the 
second  Adam  and  the  second  advent  will  bring  to  a 
redeemed  world.  But  it  would  seem  that  not  until  the 
Prophecy  of  Joel,  iii.  10,  shall  have  been  fulfilled,  with 
all  its  terrible  results,  as  described  iii  the  succeeding 
verses,  will  the  Prophecy  of  Micah,  iv.  3,  be  realized, 
with  all  its  desirable  consequences,  as  also  described  in 
its  sequel. 

The  question  is  often  asked  by  those  who  study  the 
prophetic  word,  how  near  to  us,  or  how  far  off,  is  that 
terrific  contest  of  which  we  have  now  given  some  ac- 
count ?  "  How  long  shall  it  be  to  the  end  of  these  won- 
ders ?"  While  we  would  not  be  so  presumptuous  as  to 
specify  "  those  times  which  the  Father  hath  in  His  own 
power,"  yet  our  Lord  has  directed  us  always  to  look  out 
for  those  signs  of  these  coming  events,  which,  like  the 
budding  fig  tree,  show  that  summer  is  nigh. 

And  do  not  the  signs  of  the  times  at  this  present 
period  indicate  that  evil  has  gone  forth  from  nation  to 
nation,  and  that  social  and  political  disorganization  is 
increasing  throughout  the  earth  ?  May  not  the  word  of 
Christ,  "  I  came  to  send  fire  on  the  earth,  and  what  will 
I  if  it  be  already  kindled/'  be  even  now  commencing  its 
fulfillment;  and  the  conflagration  which  is  already  lighted 
up  in  Europe  be  the  beginning  of  that  time  of  trouble  of 
which  the  battle  of  Armageddon  is  the  end  ?  The  most 
sober-minded  and  deep-thinking  have  for  some  time  past 


182  THE   BATTLE   OF   ARMAGEDDON. 

regarded  the  signs  of  the  times  as  exceedingly  porten- 
tous, indicating  the  approach  of  some  great  crisis  in  the 
world's  history. 

Politicians,  as  well  as  theologians,  have  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  state  of  the  world  is  by  no  means  flat- 
tering to  the  friends  of  peace  and  progress,  but  rather 
indicates  a  coming  struggle  of  interests  and  principles, 
which,  if  it  continues  to  increase,  may  ere  long  turn  the 
whole  earth  into  a  great  battle-field,  and  make  it  an 
Aceldama.  From  Prophecy,  we  know  that  such  a  conflict 
must  take  place  ;  and  when  the  signs  of  the  times  seem 
to  indicate  that  it  is  "  nigh,  even  at  the  doors/'  a  warning 
voice  comes  to  us  from  that  same  prophetic  word,  to  which 
we  "  do  well  to  take  heed  :"  "  Come,  my  people,  enter 
thou  into  thy  chambers,  and  shut  thy  doors  about  thee ; 
hide  thyself,  as  it  were,  for  a  little  moment,  until  the 
indignation  be  overpast.  For,  behold,  the  Lord  cometh 
out  of  His  place  to  punish  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
for  their  iniquity;  the  earth  also  shall  disclose  her  blood, 
and  shall  no  more  cover  her  slain."  Isaiah,  xxvi.  20,  21. 


LECTURE    IX. 

CASTING  OF   SATAN   IN  THE   BOTTOMLESS  PIT. 

"  And  I  saw  an  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  having  the  key  of  the 
bottomless  pit  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand,  and  he  laid  hold  on  the  dragon, 
that  old  serpent,  which  is  the  devil  and  Satan,  and  bound  him  a  thousand 
years,  and  cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  shut  him' up,  and  set  a  seal 
upon  him,  that  he  should  deceive  the  nations  no  more  till  the  thousand 
years  should  be  fulfilled,  and  after  that  he  must  be  loosed  a  little  season." — 
REVELATIONS,  xx.  1-3. 

THE  astonishing  scope  of  Prophecy  can  not  be  better 
illustrated,  nor  its  far-reaching  vision  set  forth,  than  by 
comparing  the  first  prediction,  which  was  uttered  nearly 
six  thousand  years  ago,  with  the  events  yet  to  come  an- 
nounced in  our  text.  "The  seed  of  the  woman  shall 
bruise  the  serpent's  head,"  was  declared  to  be  the  final 
result  to  him  of  that  fraud  which  he  had  practiced  upon 
our  unsuspecting  mother,  who,  through  the  sin  in  which 
he  beguiled  her*  brought  death  into  tha  world  and  all  our 
woe.  Before,  however,  the  final  stroke  should  be  inflicted, 
a  long  course  of  hostility  should  exist  between  the  two 
parties,  the  deceiver  and  the  deceived,  in  which  each 
should  receive  some  damage.  "  I  will  put  enmity  be- 
tween thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed  and 
her  seed,"  a  perpetual  strife,  which  should  know  no  ces- 
sation, and  which  has  been  verified  in  the  history  of 
our  race  from  the  day  that  Cain  slew  Abel  down  to  the 


184      CASTING   OF    SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

present  moment,  when  the  great  powers  of  the  earth, 
arrayed  in  hostile  attitude,  are  shedding  each  other's 
blood. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  notice  that  the  Scriptures  take 
for  granted  the  existence  of  the  author  of  good  and  the 
author  of  evil,  without  attempting  to  prove  either.  In 
Genesis,  i.  1,  it  says,  "  In  the  beginning,  God  created  the 
heaven  and  earth/'  and  in  Genesis,  iii.  1,  "  Now  the  ser- 
pent was  more  subtle  than  any  beast  of  the  field."  Of 
Adam  it  gives  an  account  of  his  formation  from  the  dust, 
and  of  Eve  from  the  rib  of  Adam,  and  of  beasts,  birds, 
and  fishes  from  the  earth  and  water.  But  Satan  is  intro- 
duced upon  the  stage  of  action  as  one  who  had  a  previous 
existence  ;  no  account  is  given  of  his  origin.  Now  al- 
though there  have  been  in  all  ages  persons  who  denied 
the  existence  of  a  God  and  of  a  devil,  yet  at  the  time  of 
the  creation  of  this  world,  according  to  the  Mosaic  ac- 
count, so  far  from  any  doubt  existing  on  this  subject,  it 
was  one  of  those  admitted  facts  which  required  no  proof. 
Hence  the  Scriptures  (taking  their  existence  for  granted,) 
begin  by  giving  us  an  account  of  their  first  acts  in  this 
world  :  God's  act  of  creation  and  Satan's  of  destruction, 
and  continue  the  narrative  down  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration, showing  the  same  characteristics  throughout ; 
God  doing  good,  Satan  devising  evil ;  God  unfolding  His 
plan  of  salvation  for  man,  Satan  laboring  to  defeat  it. 
The  whole  history  of  our  race  is  but  a  history  of  the  con- 
flict of  these  two  powers  ;  the  God  of  heaven  seeking  to 
rule  mankind  by  His  laws,  and  the  u  god  of  this  world" 
laboring  to  control  them  by  entirely  opposite  principles. 
Before  we  contemplate,  therefore,  the  final  overthrow  of 


CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT.      185 

his  power,  and  his  expulsion  from  the  theater  of  his  ex- 
ploits for  so  many  ages,  it  may  be  profitable  for  us 

1.  To  notice  the  origin  of  his  reign  on  earth. 

2.  The  means  by  which  he  has  wielded  his  power,  and 
the  ends  which  he  has  always  aimed  to  accomplish  by  it. 

3.  His  overthrow,  and  its  consequences  to  the  human 
family. 

1.  We  are  to  notice  the  origin  of  Satan's  reign  on 
earth.  After  the  Lord  God  had  created  man  in  His 
image  and  likeness,  He  made  him  lord  of  this  lower 
world.  The  act  by  which  He  invested  him  with  author- 
ity over  every  thing  He  had  made,  runs  in  these  words: 
"  Have  thou  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over 
the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  every  living  thing  that 
moveth  on  the  earth."  As  God's  vicegerent  over  this 
new  part  of  His  creation,  He  made  a  covenant  with  him, 
guaranteeing  to  him  the  perpetuity  of  his  power,  and  life 
and  happiness,  on  condition  of  obedience  to  Him  ;  and 
to  prove  his  sincerity,  gave  him  a  simple  and  easy  test 
of  obedience,  viz.,  to  abstain  from  the  fruit  of  one  tree, 
which  he  pointed  out,  which  he  was  not  to  eat  of  nor  to 
touch.  The  author  of  all  good  having  thus  arranged  every 
thing  for  his  happiness,  the  author  of  all  evil  now  pre- 
sents himself  to  disarrange  and  destroy.  Knowing  that 
he  had  no  power  to  compel  man  to  sin,  (for  his  Creator 
had  made  him  with  power  sufficient  to  stand,  yet  free  to 
fall,)  he  resorted  to  falsehood  and  deceit,  and  by  lying 
insinuations  and  false  promises,  so  shook  the  faith  of  our 
first  parents  in  the  authority  of  God,  that  they  swerved 
from  their  allegiance  to  Him,  admitted  the  counsels  of 
Satan  into  the  government  of  the  world,  adopted  his  prin- 


186      CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

ciples  into  their  administration  of  it,  and  gave  him  a 
foothold  and  supremacy  in  human  affairs;  and  thus,  by 
the  same  arts  he  first  employed,  he  has  ever  since  man- 
aged and  controlled  mankind,  leading  them  captive,  as 
Scripture  declares,  at  his  will.  After  the  fatal  act, 
whereby  our  first  parents  cut  themselves  loose  from  the 
authority  and  covenanted  protection  of  God,  Satan's 
reign  began.  And  what  a  reign  it  has  been,  let  the  blood- 
stained annals  of  time  unfold  !  Our  first  parents,  de- 
graded and  expelled  from  Paradise,  soon  tasted  the  bit- 
terness of  that  cup  which  their  posterity  have  since  had 
to  drink  unto  the  dregs.  Their  first-born  son  a  murder- 
er, and  their  second,  a  martyr  and  victim  of  a  brother's 
malice,  must  have  made  them  deeply  feel  what  an  evil 
and  bitter  thing  it  was  to  sin  against  God,  and  what  a 
fatal  error  to  have  surrendered  the  authority  God  had 
given  them  to  another,  who  would  exercise  it,  not  for  the 
happiness  but  for  the  destruction  of  their  posterity. 

If  we  follow  down  the  stream  of  time  we  find  the  grad- 
ual corruption  of  the  human  family  increasing  at  such  a 
fearful  rate,  that  soon  "  the  whole  earth  was  filled  with 
violence,  and  all  flesh  had  corrupted  its  way."  Under 
Satan's  rule,  all  forms  of  iniquity  had  reached  such  a 
height  that  divine  forbearance  and  patience  could  endure 
no  longer,  but  by  an  act  of  terrible  judgment  the  whole 
race,  except  eight,  were  destroyed,  and  Satan's  kingdom 
apparently  overthrown. 

Yet  almost  as  soon  after  the  flood  as  after  the  fall, 
did  he  acquire  the  supremacy,  and  anew  drive  on  man- 
kind to  those  excesses  of  crime  which  brought  down 
upon  them  the  judgment  of  God.  The  five  cities  of  the 


CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT.      187 

plain  overwhelmed  by  the  fire  of  divine  wrath,  and  the 
seven  nations  of  Canaan  exterminated  for  their  abomi- 
nations, together  with  the  desolation  of  the  land  of 
Egypt  and  the  overthrow  of  Pharaoh's  hosts  in  the  Red 
Sea,  were  some  of  the  fruits  of  his  diabolical  rule  from 
the  flood  until  the  exodus  from  Egypt  to  settle  in  the 
Holy  Land.  The  whole  system  of  idolatry,  which  in  all 
ages  has  comprehended  so  large  a  portion  of  the  human 
family,  together  with  its  kindred  abomination,  demonol- 
ogy,  is  his  especial  creation.  Holy  Scripture  declares  it 
to  be  the  worship  of  devils.  Hence  all  Paganism  is  rep- 
resented by  the  symbol  of  a  dragon,  which  is  a  serpent, 
one  of  the  names  of  Satan. 

To  those  who  are  incredulous  on  the  subject  of  Satanic 
agency  in  the  affairs  of  the  world  and  in  the  afflictions 
of  men,  let  the  voice  of  God  in  His  word  be  listened  to, 
to  hear  what  He  declares.  That  the  holy  oracles  do 
speak  of  a  most  WICKED  ANGEL,  who  is  the  implacable 
enemy  and  constant  tempter  of  the  human  race,  and  es- 
pecially the  bitterest  adversary  of  the  Church  of  God,  is 
evident  to  the  most  careless  reader.  The  divers  names 
by  which  he  is  called,  amounting  to  sixteen  in  number, 
all  expressive  of  his  qualities,  show  his  character  to  be 
the  perfection  of  all  that  is  wicked  and  odious  in  the 
highest  degree,  the  very  incarnation  of  evil.  Thus  he 
is  called  Abaddon  in  Hebrew,  and  Apollyon  in  Greek, 
L  e ,  destroyer;  Angel  of  the  Bottomless  Pit,  and  Prince 
of  Daikness,  to  show  his  origin  and  influence,  and  that 
he  is  an  escaped  criminal  from  a  place  of  punishment, 
prowling  in  secret  to  commit  deeds  that  can  not  bear  the 
light.  He  is  called  a  roaring  Lion,  to  denote  the  fero- 


188      CASTING   OF    SATAN  IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

city  with  which  He  seeks  his  prey.  A  "  Liar  from  the 
beginning/'  to  show  that  he  always  deals  in  falsehood, 
and  that  there  is  no  truth  in  him.  Also  "  a  Murderer," 
because  he  seeks  and  delights  to  destroy  the  souls  of 
men  ;  "  Belial,"  which  means  wicked,  and  "  Beelzebub," 
god  of  torments  ;  "  our  Adversary,"  because  opposed  to 
our  best  interests  ;  "  Deceiver,"  because  he  always  im- 
poses on  us  ;  "  Accuser  of  the  Brethren,"  because  he  lays 
false  charges  against  the  children  of  God  ;  "  Prince  of 
the  power  of  the  air,"  because  he  has  great  power  in  the 
aerial  regions  ;  "  the  God  of  this  world,"  because  his 
principles  prevail  among  mankind  more  than  those  of  the 
God  of  heaven  ;  besides,  "Satan,"  "Devil,"  "  Serpent/' 
"  Tempter,"  and  such  like,  which  are  familiar  to  all. 

Now  a  being  with  so  many  titles,  all  expressive  of  bad 
qualities,  and  all  of  whose  actions  are  hostile,  and  none 
friendly,  to  man,  can  be  viewed  in  no  other  light  than 
as  our  worst  foe.  Whenever  his  name  is  introduced  in 
sacred  writa  it  is  to  explain  some  act  of  malice  or  wick- 
edness which  he  has  plotted  or  perpetrated  against  us. 
Does  he  appear  among  the  sons  of  God,  it  is  either  as  an 
accuser  or  tempter.  Kighteous  Job  he  charged  with  hy- 
pocrisy in  the  service  of  God  ;  and  when  permitted  to 
test  his  sincerity,  brought  all  the  resources  of  his  de- 
stroying power  to  bear  upon  him  :  first,  in  stirring  up  the 
Sabeans  to  seize  upon  his  oxen  and  asses  ;  second,  in 
sending  lightning  to  burn  up  his  seven  thousand  sheep, 
and  the  shepherds  that  kept  them  ;  third,  in  exciting 
the  Chaldeans  to  seize  his  camels,  and  slay  their  keep- 
ers ;  fourth,  in  raising  a  tempest  that  beat  upon  his 
house  and  overthrew  it;  burying  under  its  ruins  all  his 


CASTING  OF  SATAN  IN  THE  BOTTOMLESS  PIT.   189 

sons  and  daughters.  Such  acts  of  malice,  such  tor- 
ments, does  he  delight  to  bring  down  upon  the  children 
of  men  ;  and  lastly,  afflicting  his  body  with  loathsome 
sores,  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  soles  of  his  feet. 
To  avenge  himself  upon  David  and  the  people  of  Israel, 
he  enticed  Mm  to  number  the  people,  and  by  that  act 
of  pride  to  bring  down  a  judgment  whereby  thousands 
were  slain.  The  sacred  historian  expressly  says,  1 
Chronicles,  xxi.  1,  "  Satan  stood  up  against  Israel,  and 
provoked  David  to  number  Israel."  Through  the  false 
prophets  of  Baal,  through  heathen  oracles,  through  wiz- 
ards and  necromancers,  he  imposed  upon  the  credulity 
and  ignorance  of  mankind,  and  taught  the  most  degrad- 
ing and  revolting  blasphemies  and  cruelties.  The  worst 
passions  of  men  are  the  instruments  he  uses  to  chastise 
and  destroy  them.  An  ambitious  warrior  is  a  sword  in 
his  hand,  with  which  he  slays  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
the  human  race.  Nebuchadnezzar,  Cyrus,  Xerxes,  Al- 
exander, Hannibal,  Cassar,  and  all  those  who  were  called 
the  great  heroes  of  antiquity,  were  the  infuriated  agents 
of  his  power,  sent  forth  by  him  to  destroy  and  lay 
waste  the  earth.  As  is  said  of  the  beast  with  the  seven 
heads  and  ten  horns,  so  it  may  be  said  of  all  these,  "  the 
dragon  gave  them  their  seat,  their  power,  and  their  great 
authority."  What  has  been  generally  regarded  as  an 
empty  boast  of  Satan,  viz.,  "  that  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world  and  the  glory  of  them,"  (which  he  showed  to 
Christ,  and  offered  to  Him,  if  He  would  worship  him,) 
"that  all  these  were  delivered  to  him,  and  that  to  whom- 
soever he  would  he  gave  them" — this,  so  far  from  being 
a  vain  boast,  is  a  fearful  reality.  The  Scripture  would 


190      CASTING   OF    SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

not  call  him  "  the  god  of  this  world,"  nor  the  Saviour 
"  the  prince  of  this  world,"  titles  implying  homage  and 
sovereignty,  if  he  possessed  none. 

The  power  and  art  of  Satan,  however,  were  taxed  to 
the  utmost  when  he  assailed  Christ,  and  sought  to  draw 
Him  into  sin-.  He  could  not  overcome  the  second  Adam 
as  he  had  the  first.  When  the  "  PRINCE  of  this 
world  cometh,"  says  Christ,  "  he  find eth  nothing  in  me." 
When,  on  the  lake  of  Genessareth,  he  raised  a  storm  to 
wreck  the  vessel  in  which  He  was  asleep,  the  Saviour  re- 
buked the  wind  and  the  sea,  and  thus  averted  the  dan- 
ger. His  malice  against  the  Saviour,  however,  (since 
he  could  not  lead  Him  into  sin,)  did  not  sleep  until  he 
had  compassed  His  death,  which  he  did  by  entering  into 
the  heart  of  Judas  to  betray  Him,  and  inflaming  the 
minds  of  the  Jews  to  demand  His  crucifixion.  Peter  he 
desired  to  have,  that  he  might  sift  him  as  wheat,  but 
Christ's  intercession  saved  him.  Ananias  and  Sapphira  he 
prompted  to  lie  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  brought 
upon  them  swift  destruction.  After  the  gospel  began  to 
spread  among  the  Gentiles,  and  overthrow  the  prevail- 
ing idolatry,  he  raised  up  bitter  persecutions  against  it, 
which  caused  the  shedding  of  much  blood.  By  false 
teachers  and  heretics,  he  caused  distraction  within  the 
Church,  which  weakened  its  power,  and  brought  it  more 
easily  into  bondage  to  that  system  of  superstition  and 
tyranny  which  ultimately  enslaved  and  destroyed  it. 
Sacred  Scripture  tells  us  how  the  great  apostacy  yet  to 
come  shall  be  introduced,  viz.,  "after  the  working  of 
Satan,  with  all  power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders,  and 
all  deceiveableness  of  unrighteousness." 


CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT.      191 

But  above  all  things,  war  is  a  thing  Satan  most  ex- 
ceedingly delights  in,  for  it  cuts  off  more  souls  in  a  day 
than  by  natural  death  he  can  hope  to  grasp  in  many 
years.  The  battle-field  is  his  harvest-field,  whence  he 
reaps  and  gathers  into  his  garner  thirty  or  sixty  or  a  hun- 
dred fold.  How  artfully  does  he  persuade  princes  and 
statesmen  that  the  cause  of  civilization,  of  liberty,  and 
of  religion,  requires  them  to  draw  the  sword  against  their 
neighbors.  They  are  not  aware  that  any  other  influence 
than  that  of  justice  and  truth  leads  them  to  the  decisions 
they  make  ;  nor  was  David,  or  Judas,  or  any  other  of 
those  enumerated,  aware  that  they  were  under  a  malign 
influence  when  they  performed  their  evil  deeds  ;  but 
Scripture  traces  them  to  their  true  cause,  viz.,  Satanic 
agency — and  it  is  probably  not  wide  of  the  mark  to  as- 
sert, that  every  offensive  war  that  has  ever  heen  waged 
on  the  earth  was  caused  by  his  instigation. 

Concerning  the  last  great  conflict,  when  he  will  gather 
his  forces  for  a  final  stroke  for  universal  dominion,  we 
are  expressly  informed  that  three  unclean  spirits,  spirits 
of  devils,  working  miracles,  will  go  forth  to  the  kings 
of  the  earth,  and  of  the  whole  world,  to  gather  them 
to  the  battle  of  the  great  day.  That  was  the  subject  of 
our  last  lecture,  and  this  contains  the  result  to  him. 

Such  is  a  brief  and  very  general  history  of  his  career 
from  the  fall  to  the  present  day,  the  full  details  of  which 
would  form  a  library  of  horrors  fit  only  to  be  read  in  the 
bottomless  pit. 

You  perceive,  therefore,  that  his  power  has  always 
been  used  only  for  destruction,  and  his  malicious  pur- 
poses advanced  solely  by  fraud  and  guile  ;  that  his  vig- 


192      CASTING   OF    SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

ilanoe  and  activity  in  every  age  have  been  unwearied 
and  incessant  ;  and  that  he  will  pursue  his  hostility  to 
our  race  until  the  last.  That  his  character  is  one  of  un- 
mixed evil  and  no  good,  is  evident  from  all  that  Scrip- 
ture says  of  him.  When  St.  Paul  would  paint  the  char- 
acter of  Elymas  the  sorcerer  in  the  blackest  colors,  he 
simply  clothes  him  with  the  attributes  of  Satan  :  "  0 
full  of  all  subtlety  and  all  mischief,  thou  CHILD  OF  THE 
DEVIL,  thou  enemy  of  all  righteousness,  wilt  thou  not 
cease  to  pervert  the  right  ways  of  the  Lord  ?" 

The  power  of  Satan,  like  that  of  God,  is  invisible  in  its 
operation,  but  manifest  in  its  results.  Because  it  is 
hidden,  many  doubt  its  existence,  but  it  is  no  more  hid- 
den than  the  operations  of  the  Spirit  of  God  are,  which 
our  Saviour  compares  to  the  wind  which  bloweth,  etc.  It 
is  the  natural.,  and  we  ma}7  say  necessary  law  of  all  spir- 
itual agency,  whether  good  or  evil,  tot  be  occult  and  mys- 
terious, and  the  invisibility  of  Satan  is  therefore  no  great- 
er objection  to  his  existence  and  malignant  agency,  than 
is  the  invisibility  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  His  sanctifying 
power. 

But  we  must  hasten  to  contemplate  the  overthrow  of 
this  great  enemy  of  God  and  man,  and  notice  the  power 
by  which  it  is  accomplished. 

"  I  saw  a  mighty  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  hav- 
ing the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  a  great  chain  in 
his  hand,  and  he  laid  hold  on  the  Dragon,  that  old  serpent 
which  is  the  Devil  and  Satan,  and  bound  him  a  thou- 
sand years."  Notice  the  accumulation  of  titles  which  is 
here  given  to  the  adversary  of  God  and  man.  1.  Dragon. 
This  is  one  of  the  last  titles  given  to  him  in  the  Scrip- 


CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN    THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT.      193 

ture  ;  it  first  occurs  in  Revelations,  xii.;  and  is  there  ex- 
plained in  the  same  terms  as  in  our  text.  2.  Old  Ser- 
pent. Serpent  is  the  first  name  given  to  him  in  Scripture, 
Genesis,  iii.  1  ;  and  Devil  and  Satan  are  indiscriminately 
used  in  Scripture.  The  first  is  Greek,  and  the  second 
Hebrew,  and  when  translated  and  joined  together,  they 
mean  wicked  enemy.  There  can  scarcely  be  a  possibility, 
then,  of  mistaking  who  is  intended  by  this  fourfold  title — 
it  applies  to  but  one  being  in  the  universe.  The  mighty 
angel  who  binds  him,  we  understand  to  be  Michael,  the 
archangel  spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  and  declared 
to  be  the  great  defender  of  his  people  in  the  latter  day. 
In  Daniel,  xii.  1,  he  says,  "  At  that  time  shall  Michael 
stand  up,  the  great  prince  which  standeth  for  the  chil- 
dren of  thy  people  ;  and  there  shall  be  a  time  of  trouble, 
such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation  to  that  time," 
plainly  referring  to  the  battle  of  Armageddon,  which,  as 
we  have  shown,  is  brought  about  by  Satanic  agency. 
Michael  seems,  in  Scripture,  to  be  the  warrior  angel,  while 
Gabriel  is  the  peace  angel.  'Twas  Gabriel  that  came  to 
Daniel,  (while  praying  and  fasting  and  confessing  the  sin 
of  the  people,)  and  informed  him  how  long  it  would  be 
to  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  and  comforted  him  in  his 
sorrow  and  distress.  'Twas  Gabriel  that  was  sent  to  an- 
nounce to  the  Virgin  Mary  that  the  time  for  Messiah's 
birth  had  come  ;  and  'twas  probably  the  same  angel  that 
strengthened  Christ  in  His  agony  in  the  garden,  and  at 
His  resurrection  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  sepulchre, 
as  the  keepers  declared,  when,  affrighted,  they  fled.  But 
the  name  of  Michael  is  always  connected  with  other 
scenes.  In  Eevelations,  xii.  7,  we  read,  "  There  was  war 

9 


194   CASTING  OF  SATAN  IN  THE  BOTTOMLESS  PIT. 

in  heaven  ;  Michael  and  his  angels  fought  against  the 
dragon,  and  the  dragon  fought,  and  his  angels,  and  pre- 
vailed not ;  neither  was  their  place  found  any  more." 
It  would  seem  that  the  good  angels  have  a  leader  as 
well  as  the  evil  angels. 

This  war  in  heaven  we  understand  to  be  the  aerial 
heavens,  the  heavens  connected  with  this  earth,  or  the 
firmament  which  God  called  heaven,  in  which  the  feath- 
ered tribes  soar  aloft.  Satan  is  called  not  only  the  god  of 
this  world,  but  also  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  or 
aerial  regions.  Evil  spirits  undoubtedly  pass  through 
the  upper  regions  of  this  world,  on  their  errands  of  mis- 
chief, as  well  as  the  good  spirits  do,  who  are  sent  to  min- 
ister to  them  who  shall  be  the  heirs  of  salvation.  This 
contest  between  Michael  and  Satan  and  their  respective 
hosts,  in  the  aerial  regions,  (called  the  war  in  heaven, 
Revelations,  xii.)  takes  place  we  think  only  a  short  time 
before  the  battle  of  Armageddon,  for  immediately  after 
the  war  in  heaven,  and  Satan's  defeat,  it  is  said,  "  And  no 
place  was  found  any  more  for  him  in  heaven,  and  he  was 
cast  out  into  the  earth,  and  his  angels  with  him  ;"  and 
then  it  is  added,  "  Woe  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
and.  of  the  sea,  for  the  devil  is  come  down  to  you  having 
great  wrath,  for  he  knoweth  that  he  hath  but  a  short 
time ;"  and  then  what  does  he  attempt  to  do  in  his  great 
wrath  for  that  short  time  ?  By  the  three  unclean  spirits, 
spirits  of  devils  working  miracles,  he  gathers  together  the 
kings  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  whole  world  to  the  battle  of 
the  great  day  of  G-od  Almighty.  Knowing  that  the  ad- 
versary he  encountered  in  the  atmospheric  regions,  and 
who  expelled  him  from  thence,  is  on  His  way  down  to  the 


CASTING  OF  SATAN  IN  THE  BOTTOMLESS  PIT.    195 

earth,  to  take  possession  of  it  also,  he  musters  his  hosts 
to  battle  to  make  a  last  effort  for  that  dominion  over  the 
earth  he  has  so  long  exercised,  but  the  battle  is  lost,  the 
Beast  and  the  False  Prophet  are  taken,  and  all  their  as- 
sociates, and  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire,  and  at  this  time  the 
animating  spirit  of  them  all  is  also  arrested,  bound,  im- 
prisoned and  kept  in  close  confinement  for  a  thousand 
years. 

In  all  the  former  conflicts  on  earth,  while  whole  armies 
have  been  slaughtered,  and  their  leaders  fallen  or  dis- 
graced, the  KEAL  INSTIGATOR,  who  was  behind  the 
scenes,  has  escaped,  and  then  commenced  new  efforts  for 
another  field  of  slaughter.  But  at  this  time,  he  also  shall 
be  captured,  and  as  he  was  cast  out  of  the  AERIAL  regions, 
so  shall  he  be  also  expelled  from  the  terrestrial ,  and 
undergo  a  long  imprisonment  in  a  subterranean  place. 
All  doubtless  admit  that  no  human  power  can  ever  arrest 
Satan,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  earth.  A  spiritual  power 
may  overcome  an  infernal  one,  and  pursue  and  capture 
him,  but  a  h'uman  power  can  only  act  against  his  wiles  ; 
therefore  all  the  Church  a,nd  the  gospel  for  ages,  whilst 
they  have  been  directed  against  his  principles,  could  not 
touch  his  person,  nor  get  rid  of  his  invisible  presence.  He 
would  still  mix  among  men  and  interfere  in  human  affairs. 
But  Michael  seizes  hold  of  the  great  offender  himself  in 
such  a  way  as  an  angel  only  can  grapple  with  an  angel, 
and  effectually  rids  the  earth  of  his  presence. 

Our  ideas  of  arrest  and  imprisonment,  and  of  securing 
an  offender,  are  associated  with  the  seizing  of  his  per- 
son, binding,  locking  up,  chaining  down,  etc.;  and  there- 
fore this  action  was  so  represented 


196      CASTING   OF    SATAN   IN    THE    BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

Gabriel,  with  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  a  great 
chaif!  in  his  hand,  is  said  to  lay  hold  on  Satan  and  cast 
him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  set  a  seal  on  him. 
Those  who  are  opposed  to  the  literal  interpretation  of 
Scripture  amuse  themselves,  as  they  think,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  those  who  advocate  the  literal  interpretation, 
by  asking,  with  a  jeer,  what  kind  of  a  chain  was  this, 
brass  or  iron  ?  and  what  kind  of  a  key,  steel  or  copper  ? 
and  what  kind  of  a  pit  is  a  bottomless  pit  ?  and  where 
can  such  a  thing  be  found  ?  As  our  knowledge  of  an- 
gels, either  as  to  their  forms,  or  shapes,  or  bodily  mem- 
bers, is  exceedingly  imperfect,  it  can  not  be  expected 
that  we  can  tell  what  bonds  and  ligatures  may  be  re- 
quired to  confine  or  restrain  them.  We  can  not  tell 
what  angels'  food  is,  yet  we  do  not  doubt  that  they  sub- 
sist on  some  food  adapted  to  their  natures.  We  know 
not  how  they  live  ;  whether  they  walk  or  fly,  or  sit  down 
or  lie  down,  or  be  always  in  motion;  and  shall  it  then  be 
demanded  of  us  to  say  by  what  kind  of  a  chain  wicked 
angels  may  be  bound  ?  and  what  is  the  metal  of  the  key 
which  shuts  up  their  place  of  confinement  ?  God  know- 
eth,  though  we  may  not  be  able  to  tell ;  and  it  is  as  great 
an  act  of  presumption  to  say  that  no  chain  and  key  are 
used,  against  the  positive  declaration  of  the  text  that 
they  are,  as  it  would  be  for  us  to  attempt  positively 
to  show  the  quality  of  them,  which  God  has  not  ex- 
plained. 

But  what  idea  can  we  have  of  a  BOTTOMLESS  PIT,  the 
place  of  his  confinement  ?  and  where  is  it  located  ?  it  is 
also  asked.  If  Satan  isfirst  cast  out  of  the  aerial  regions 
unto  the  earth,  and  then  next  out  of  the  earth  into  the 


CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS  PIT.      197 

bottomless  pit,  this  pit  must  either  be  within  this 
earth  or  entirely  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  globe,  and 
in  some  other  part  of  creation.  Which  is  the  case  ?  Let 
us  inquire  whether  there  is  a  bottomless  pit  connected 
with  this  globe  ;  and  if  so,  where  is  it  ?  The  globe  on 
which  we  live  has  a  circumference  of  about  twenty-five 
thousand  miles,  and  a  diameter  of  about  eight  thousand. 
It  is  a  continually-revolving  sphere,  which  turns  on  its 
axis  once  in  every  twenty-four  hours.  Philosophers  are 
agreed  that  it  is  not  a  solid  body,  i.  e.,  the  eight  thousand 
miles  of  diameter,  down  through  from  America  to  China, 
the  opposite  sides,  are  not  solid  earth  ;  on  the  contrary, 
from  experiments  made  upon  the  increase  of  heat  as  we 
descend  below  the  surface,  it  is  quite  evident  that  solid 
earth  does  not  extend  to  more  than  sixty  miles  in  depth, 
(some  maintain  that  it  is  only  thirty  miles,)  when  we 
reach  a  state  of  igneous  fluidity.  From  the  constantly- 
revolving  motion  of  the  earth,  we  can  not  say  that  it  has 
any  top  or  bottom.  If  we  say  the  portion  that  faces  the 
sun  is  the  top,  presently  that  is  turned  away  and  the 
opposite  portion  takes  its  place,  so  that  the  earth  is 
really  a  topless  and  bottomless  ball,  no  part  of  the  sur- 
face being  at  any  time  in  a  fixed  position  toward  any 
other  object.  Now  if  the  crust  of  this  ball  on  which  we 
live,  be,  at  the  utmost,  sixty  miles  in  thickness,  see  what 
an  immense  internal  area  remains,  of  nearly  eight  thou- 
sand miles  in  diameter,  deducting  only  the  sixty  miles 
of  surface  or  solid  earth — a  vast  abyss  !  a  bottomless 
pit  !  for,  partaking  of  the  rotatory  motion  of  the  earth, 
it  has  neither  bottom  nor  top.  Constant  revolution, 
which  prevents  the  exterior  of  the  earth  from  having  a 


198      CASTING   OF    SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

top  equally  prevents  the  interior  from  having  a  bottom  ; 
and  this,  in  truth,  is  the  only  idea  we  can  form  of  a  bot- 
tomless pit,  viz,  the  hollow  interior  of  a  revolving  ball. 
So  that  the  TRANSLATOR  did  not  use  language  without 
meaning,  or  necessarily  speak  in  figure  when  he  declared 
that  Satan,  when  expelled  from  the  earth,  should  be  cast 
into  the  bottomless  pit. 

But  when  great  criminals  are  arrested  and  imprisoned, 
they  are  not  only  placed  in  dungeons  and  chained,  but 
the  doors  are  well  fastened,  and  the  windows  barred,  so 
that  all  egress  may  be  prevented.  If  you  ask  what  is 
now  the  way  of  access  to  the  bottomless  pit,  we  answer, 
in  our  opinion,  the  craters  of  volcanoes.  These,  which 
the  ancients  used  to  call  the  chimneys  of  Tartarus,  have 
evidently  a  communication  with  the  interior  of  the  earth, 
and  show  that  eternal  fires  are  raging  below,  which  never 
go  out.  This  everlasting  fire,  which  our  Saviour  de- 
clared was  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels,  and  of 
the  certain  reality  of  which  we  are  admonished  by  every 
volcanic  eruption,  is  in  that  bottomless  pit,  that  vast  sea 
of  fire  which  rages  under  our  feet,  Moses  refers  to  it 
when  he  says,  or  God  says  by  him,  "  A  fire  is  kindled  in 
mine  anger,  which  shall  burn  to  the  lowest  hell,  and  'set 
on  fire  the  foundations  of  the  mountains,  and  consume 
the  earth  with  her  increase."  The  foundations  of  the 
mountains  extend  to  the  very  depths  of  solid  land,  until 
they  meet  the  consuming  element  which  changes  them 
into  molten  lava  ;  and  then,  by  forces  which  are  gene- 
rated in  that  great  laboratory  of  avenging  wrath,  they  are 
thrown  upon  the  surface.  And  from  this  source  shall 
undoubtedly  proceed  the  fire  which  will  cause  "  the  ele- 


CASTING   OF    SATAN   IN   THE    BOTTOMLESS   PIT.      199 

ments  to  melt  with  fervent  heat,  and  the  earth  and  its 
works  to  be  burned  up." 

Now  let  us  suppose  this  action  to  have  taken  place, 
the  fire  prepared  and  kept  alive  so  long  to  have  burst 
forth  from  its  volcanic  outlets  and  purified  the  earth,  and 
then  their  action  to  cease,  Satan  cast  into  the  pit,  and 
every  crater  immediately  closed,  would  not  his  escape  be 
impossible  ?  Would  he  not  be  locked  up  in  a  dungeon 
more  secure  than  any  bars  or  bolts  on  earth  could  make 
one  ?  Is  not  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit,  therefore, 
the  power  given  to  the  mighty  angel  to  close  the  vol- 
canoes ?  These  passage-ways  to  the  surface  being  all 
shut,  he  could  not  approach  the  human  family  any  more 
to  allure  them  with  guile.  The  seal  set  upon  him  is  the 
sentence  of  his  doom,  imprisonment  for  a  thousand  years. 
The  reason  given  is,  that  he  should  deceive  the  nations 
no  longer.  But  if  the  apostacy  and  iniquity  of  the  na- 
tions were  not  owing  to  his  deceptions  the  imprisonment 
is  unjust.  If,  as  some  think  and  say,  Satan  is  charged 
with  more  than  he  is  guilty  of,  then  this  punishment 
might  seem  too  severe,  but  to  show  that  this  is  not  the 
case,  it  is  added  in  our  text,  and  "  after  that"  (viz.,  the 
imprisonment  of  a  thousand  years,)  C;he  must  be  loosed 
a  little  season." 

Now  mark  the  consequence.  During  the  thousand 
years  of  his  absence,  not  a  war  desolates  the  face  of  the 
earth,  the  sword  is  beaten  into  the  plowshare  and  the 
spear  into  the  pruning-hook,  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
covers  the  earth  as  the  waters  do  the  sea,  all  see  eye  to 
eye  and  go  hand  in  hand.  There  is  one  Lord,  and  His 
name  one,  and  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto  the  going 


200      CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

down  of  the  same  incense  is  offered  to  His  name,  and  a 
pure  offering;  no  religious  feuds  distract  the  harmony  of 
society,  but  unity  and  love  universally  prevail,  and  ex- 
tend even  to  the  lower  orders  of  creation,  so  that  the  lion 
and  the  lamb  lie  down  together,  and  the  leopard  and  the 
kid,  and  the  cow  and  the  bear  feed  together,  and  the 
venomous  serpent  does  not  sting;  in  one  word,  "  there 
is  nothing  to  hurt  or  destroy  in  all  God's  holy  moun- 
tain." 

Such  is  the  state  of  the  world  during  Satan's  expul- 
sion from  it.  But  what  occurs  during  the  little  season 
he  is  loosed.  Hear  the  word  of  God,  verse  7  :  "  When 
the  thousand  years  are  expired,  Satan  shall  be  loosed  a 
little  season,  and  shall  go  out  to  deceive  the  nations  which 
are  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth,  to  gather  them  to 
battle,  the  number  of  whom  is  as  the  sand  of  the  sea  ; 
and  they  went  up  on  the  breadth  of  the  earth  and  com- 
passed the  camp  of  the  saints  and  the  beloved  city,  and 
fire  came  down  from  God  out  of  heaven  and  devoured 
them." 

To  show  that  Satan  is  Satan  still,  the  god  of  war,  and 
author  of  all  the  controversy  and  strife  that  exists  among 
men,  this  last  trial  is  given  him  ;  from  which  it  appears 
that  his  long  imprisonment  has  not  altered  his  nature, 
and  that  the  human  family  is  not  safe  when  he  is  at 
large  ;  therefore,  he  is  now  sentenced  and  doomed  to 
that  ETERNAL  TORMENT  which  is  adjudged  to  the  wicked 
in  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  and  the  struggle  be- 
tween the  seed  of  the  woman  and  the  serpent  is  for 
ever  ended.  The  Son  of  God  has  destroyed  all  the 


CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT.      201 

works  of.  the  devil,  and  the  sentiment  of  the  poet  is 
realized: 

"Lord  God  of  Hosts  cut  short  his  power, 

Let  him  in  darkness  dwell ; 
And  that  he  may  deceive  no  more, 
Confine  him  down  to  hell" 

That  the  place  of  the  future  punishment  of  the  wick- 
ed is  within  the  earth  and  helow  its  surface,  seems  to  be 
a  necessary  inference  from  many  expressions  of  the  sacred 
writers.  The  frequent  use  of  the  phrase  down  to  hell, 
shows  that  in  their  opinion  it  was  somewhere  beneath 
us.  Thus,  the  prophet  says  of  the  wicked,  "let  death 
seize  upon  them,  and  let  them  go  doivn  quick  into  hell;"* 

*  The  place  of  the  future  punishment  of  the  wicked  is  called  in  the  Scrip- 
tures the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. 
Why  it  is  so  called  is  differently  explained.  Some  say  because  it  is  literally 
what  the  language  imports,  a  burning  sea  of  fire,  upon  which  the  wicked, 
after  their  resurrection,  are  launched  for  that  voj^age  of  woe  which  never 
comes  to  an  end.  Others  say  the  language  is  figurative,  and  was  intended 
only  to  express  the  most  inconceivable  anguish  of  mind  and  torment  of 
conscience  for  the  sins  committed  in  this  life.  This  is  of  course  merely  pre- 
sumption. It  is  incapable  of  proof,  either  from  any  express  declaration  of 
the  Scriptures  or  unavoidable  logical  inference,  that  hell  fire  does  not  mean 
hell  fire  in  the  most  strict  and  literal  sense  of  the  words.  The  Scriptures 
certainly  teach  us  that  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  and  the 
earth,  and  all  the  works  therein,  shall  be  burned  up.  Surely  this  is  LITERAL 
fire,  for  God,  speaking  of  this  event  to  Moses,  says,  Deuteronom}^  xxxii. 
22,  "a  fire  is  kindled  in  mine  anger,  which  shall  burn  to  the  lowest  hell, 
and  set  on  fire  the  foundations  of  the  earth,  and  consume  the  earth  with  its 
increase."  Now  when  science  teaches  us  that  there  are  eternal  fires  raging 
beneath  our  feet,  which  through  volcanic  openings  find  their  way  to  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  and  may  one  day  so  overspread  it  as  to  enkindle  a 
general  conflagration,  and  then  again  subside  to  their  deep  abysses  below, 
is  it  not  more  than  probable  that  that  subterranean  region  is  the  actual  lake 
of  fire  of  which  the  Scriptures  speak  ? 

But  some  think  that  the  literal  interpretation  of  the  passage,  "lake  of  fire 

9* 


202      CASTING  OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS  PIT. 

and  Solomon  declares,  "  her  house  is  the  way  to  hell, 
going  down  to  the  chambers  of  death."  The  Prophet 
Ezekiel,  speaking  of  the  last  Antichrist  and  his  over- 
throw, xxxi.  16,  says,  "  I  made  the  nations  to  shake  at 

and  brimstone,"  conveys  such  an  HORRIBLE  IDEA,  that  it  seriously  reflects 
upon  the  goodness,  mercy,  and  compassion  of  God  to  appoint  such  cruel 
torments  for  His  creatures.     Can  a  loving  Father,  they  ask,  require  of  any 
who  have  offended  Him  to  undergo  for  endless  ages  such  horrible  punish- 
ment for  their  sins  ?    Incredible  !  they  say,  the  language  must  be  figurative, 
and   must  be  so  interpreted.     But  why  then  use  a  figure  which  expresses 
so  much  that  is  horrible  ?    There  is,  and  always  should  be  in  figurative  lan- 
guage, some  analogy  between  the  idea  actually  expressed  and  the  truth 
really  intended  to  be  conveyed.     Language  expressing  the  most  intense 
bod  ly  suffering  that  can  be  conceived  of,  would  never  be  employed  to  de- 
scribe a  moderate  degree  of  mental  anguish,  any  more  than  stoning  would 
mean  severe  scolding,  or  public  burning  at  the  stake  sharp  reproof  before 
men.     If,  as  some  pretend,  the  expression  fire  and  brimstone  is  used  merely 
to  express  the  intensity  of  mental  anguish,  which  they  suppose  to  be  so  great 
that  nothing  but  the  torment  of  fire  and  brimstone  can  properly  express  it, 
then  what  is  gained  by  such  an  explanation?    Certainly  the  compassion  of 
God  is  not  diminished :  for  if  the  anguish  be  as  keen  under  one  form  of 
suffering  as  under  another,  nothing  is  gained  by  substituting  one  for  the 
other.     Either  the  expression,  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  denotes  an  actual 
PLACE  of  future  punishment,  where  the  wicked  will  hereafter  endure  the 
punishment  of  their  sins  in  the  manner  the  language  naturally  imports,  or 
it  merely  expresses  a  possible  state  of  mental  anguish,  which  will  so  far  ex- 
coed  any  thing  they  are  accustomed  to  in  this  life  that  no  other  figurative 
language  can  adequately  express  it.     If  the  former,  then  all  is  plain  and 
easily  comprehended ;  if  the  latter,  then  the  frightful  imagery  must  either 
be  shorn  of  much  of  its  horrors  by  suitable  explanations,  or  the  literal  lan- 
guage might  as  well  be  retained.     The  difficulty,  therefore,  of  adhering  to 
the  literal  scnsa  is  not  removed  by  a  figurative  interpretation,  and  even  if 
to  many  minds  it  seemed  to  be,  yet  the  danger  of  so  doing  demands  that 
great  caution  should  be  observed  in  rejecting  the  literal  interpretation  of  the 
Scriptures,  which  has  generally  the  preference  over  every  other  method  of 
exposition. 


CASTING  OF  SATAN  IN  THE  BOTTOMLESS  PIT.   203 

the  sound  of  his  full,  when  I  cast  him  down  to  hell  with 
them  that  descend  into  the  pit."  The  Prophet  Isaiah,  xiv. 
15,  referring  to  the  same  event,  viz.,  the  destruction  of 
Antichrist,  under  the  name  of  Lucifer,  says,  (notwith- 
standing his  arrogant  boasting  and  great  exploits)  "  yet 
thou  shalt  be  brought  down  to  hell,  to  the  sides  of  the 
pit ;"  and  our  Saviour  sanctions  the  use  of  this  phrase 
when  He  says  of  Capernaum,  who  had  enjoyed  such 
great  privileges  but  abused  them,  "thou  shalt  be  brought 
down  to  hell."  Now,  where  is  down  to  all  parts  of  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  but  the  interior  ?  If  in  opposite 
parts  of  the  globe,  and  on  all  sides  of  it,  we  can  still  say 
hell  is  down  and  beloiv,  it  must  be  in  the  interior  of  the 
earth.  The  Chinese  are  beneath  our  feet,  and  we  are  be- 
neath theirs,  and  down,  to  both  can  only  be  in  some 
midway  between  us.  When  the  earth  opened  her  mouth 
and  swallowed  up  Korah  and  his  company  and  they  went 
down  alive  into  the  pit,  there  must  have  been  a  pit  within 
the  earth  to  receive  them,  and  what  that  pit  was,  other 
parts  of  Scripture  teach  us.  It  is  sometimes  called  the 
pit  wherein  is  no  water,  as  we  see  in  the  case  of  Dives; 
the  pit  of  destruction,  (Psalm  Iv.  23;)  and,  in  the  text, 
the  bottomless  pit. 

Besides  the  word  down,  so  often  used  to  describe  the 
direction  of  this  awful  place,  the  word  beneath  is  some- 
times employed.  The  Prophet  Isaiah,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  speaking  of  the  Antichrist  who  should  be  cast  down 
to  hell,  adds,  that  hell  from  beneath  should  be  moved  to 
meet  him  at  his  coming. 

But  why  multiply  passages  of  Scripture  to  prove  this 
point  ?  God  hath  made  nothing  in  vain.  And  if  the 


204      CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT. 

aerial  regions  at  the  renovation  of  the  earth  shall  be  the 
abode  of  the  risen  saints,  and  the  renewed  surface  of  the 
earth  the  happy  home  and  millennial  rest  of  all  that  are 
still  in  the  flesh,  as  we  shall  show  in  a  future  lecture, 
the  only  place  remaining  where  the  author  of  all  evil  and 
the  deceiver  and  destroyer  of  the  human  race  can  be  shut 
out  from  all  access  to  man,  is  that  deep  cavern  under  our 
feet  whose  walls  are  perhaps  sixty  miles  in  thickness,  and 
all  whose  openings  for  light  or  air  are  closed  with  such 
fastness  as  no  power  but  the  divine  can  ever  again  loose. 
This  prison  house  of  woe  is  as  much  prepared  by  divine 
power  for  its-  proper  inmates,  as  the  new  heavens  and 
the  new  earth,  wherein  shall  dwell  righteousness  is  for 
the  followers  of  the  Lamb.  Hence  the  Saviour  speaks 
of  the  kingdom  prepared  for.  the  righteous  as  here  on 
this  earth  ;  and  of  the  everlasting  fire  prepared  for  the 
devil  and  his  angels  which  we  know  to  rage  beneath  it. 

State  prisons,  where  prisoners  of  state  are  confined, 
are  often  adjoining  the  dwellings  of  the  good  and  the  vir- 
tuous. Generally  culprits  confined  for  crime,  suffer  in 
the  same  dominions  in  which  they  committed  their  mis- 
deeds. The  Tower  of  London  and  the  Bastile  of  Paris 
were  within  hail  of  the  palaces  of  St.  James  and  the 
Tuileries.  Kulers,  and  citizens,  and  criminals,  the  happy 
and  the  miserable,  were  all  under  the  same  municipal- 
ity. So,  when  the  Son  of  David  shall  establish  His  royal 
throne  on  mount  Zion  and  rule  the  world  in  righteous- 
ness, not  only  shall  His  foes  be  made  His  footstool,  but 
that  great  enemy  of  His  authority,  the  god  of  this 
world,  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  the  spirit  that 
worketh  in  the  children  of  disobedience,  and  the  ringleader 


CASTING   OF   SATAN   IN   THE   BOTTOMLESS   PIT.      205 

of  all  rebellion,  shall  be  confined  in  that  subterranean 
dungeon  connected  with  this  earth  which  for  ages  has 
been  prepared  for  him,  and  where  for  ages  he  shall  be  the 
great  prisoner  of  state,  suffering  the  torment  of  hell 
fire.  The  world  undoubtedly  shall  know  of  his  doom, 
and  of  his  place  of  confinement,  and  rejoice  in  their  de- 
liverance from  his  power,  and  while  the  righteous  under 
the  new  heavens  dwell  on  the  new  earth,  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  millennium  of  happiness,  Satan,  under  the 
new  earth,  shall  be  confined  in  the  bottomless  pit,  to  en- 
dure a  millennium  of  disappointment,  rage,  and  woe ; 
bruised,  (as  the  apostle  says,)  under  our  feet. 

We  may  now,  in  our  subsequent  discourses,  introduce 
you  to  more  agreeable  scenes  than  those  connected  with 
divine  wrath  and  judgment,  even  scenes  of  glory  and 
happiness  to  the  human  race.  The  entire  exclusion  of 
Satanic  agency  from  human  affairs,  and  the  happy  rid- 
dance of  our  world  from  the  presence,  and  power,  and  in- 
trigue and  malice  of  her  most  relentless  foe,  will  be  such 
a  marked  era  in  its  history,  that,  as  an  unfulfilled  Proph- 
ecy, it  could  not  with  justice  be  overlooked.  For  as  the 
entrance  of  Satan  into  our  world  was  the  beginning  of 
its  sorrow,  and  his  continual  instigations  the  fruitful 
source  of  its  manifold  miseries,  so  will  his  expulsion  from 
it  be  the  beginning  of  its  joy,  and  the  dawn  of  that  pe- 
riod when  righteousness  and  truth  shall  spring  up  among 
all  nations,  and  the  presence  of  our  divine  Redeemer 
gladden  a  redeemed  earth.  As  there  is  now  no  other 
event  between  us  and  this  blissful  period,  that  will  neces- 
sarily form  the  subject  of  our  next  lecture. 


LECTURE    X. 

THE    NEW    DISPENSATION. 

"  Nevertheless  we,  according  to  His  promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and 
a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." — 2  PETER,  iii.  13. 

THE  many  changes  through  which  our  world  has  passed 
since  the  entrance  of  sin  into  it,  suggests  the  strong 
probability  that  its  present  condition,  which  is  still  a 
sinful  one,  can  not  be  regarded  as  a  permanent  condi- 
tion, but  that  it  is  still  in  a  transition  state,  tending  to 
some  other  condition,  either  better  or  worse.  What  that 
change  will  be  human  speculation  can  not  determine,  or 
worldly  wisdom  find  out ;  but  only  He  can  declare,  who 
has  the  times  and  the  seasons  in  His  own  power. 

There  are  two  classes  of  society  who  view  the  future 
in  entirely  different  lights. 

First,  those  who  live  in  the  past,  and  are  always  refer- 
ring to  former  times  and  days  gone  by  as  so  much  bet- 
ter than  the  present  period  ;  who  look  upon  this  age  as  a 
very  degenerate  one,  and  see  no  prospect  of  its  ameliora- 
tion, but  rather  anticipate  a  still  further  deterioration, 
until  it  shall  have  reached  a  point  of  demoralization 
too  awful  to  contemplate. 

The  other  class  consider  that  there  never  was  an  age 
of  greater  light,  liberty,  general  intelligence,  benevolence, 
and  moral  excellence  than  the  present ;  and  that  this  is 
gradually  leading  us  forward  to  a  position  more  exalted 


THE   NEW   DISPENSATION.  207 

than  the  human  family  has  ever  yet  attained.  To  them 
the  future  is  bright,  and  radiant  with  hope  for  the  best 
interests  of  the  human  race,  while  to  the  former  it  is 
dark  and  threatening  to  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the 
world. 

Between  two  theories  so  entirely  opposed  to  each  other 
the  sincere  inquirer  after  truth  may  anxiously  ask,  Which 
shall  I  believe  ?  Philosophy  will  give  one  answer,  infi- 
delity another,  and  divine  revelation  a  third  ;  but  as  the 
two  former  speak  only  the  sentiments  of  erring  mortals, 
he  will  turn  to  the  third,  whose  writers  speak  as  they 
were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  will  give  him  a 
picture  of  the  future,  in  which  more  than  all  the  dark- 
ness of  the  one  theory,  and  more  than  all  the  brightness 
of  the  other,  are  commingled,  and  yet  neither  is  shown 
to  be  the  whole  truth — a  future  in  which  clouds  full  of 
fury  and  wrath  gather  blackness,  and  burst  in  storms 
of  calamity  and  woe  upon  a  wicked  and  affrighted  world, 
and  then  break  away  and  reveal  a  clear  and  serene  sky 
beyond,  indicating  a  return  of  calm  and  sunshine,  which 
shall  be  as  perpetual  as  it  is  magnificent  and  welcome. 
Our  text  presents  to  us  the  beautiful  clearing  up  after 
that  most  terrific  storm  which  shall  ever  be  experienced 
on  earth — a  storm  in  which  "  the  heavens  shall  pass  away 
with  a  great  noise,  the  elements  melt  with  fervent  heat, 
the  earth,  and  the  works  therein  be  burnt  up."  After 
which,  says  our  text,  "  ive,  nevertheless,  according  to  His 
promise,  look  fur  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness." 

To  see  how  the  apostle  reaches  this  conclusion,  let  us 
trace  him  through  his  previous  argument  down  to  this 


208  THE   NEW   DISPENSATION. 

point.  In  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  he  says  :  "  This 
second  epistle,  beloved,  I  now  write  to  you,  in  which  I 
stir  up  your  pure  minds  by  way  of  remembrance,  that  ye 
may  be  mindful  of  the  words  which  were  spoken  before 
by  the  holy  prophets,  and  of  the  commandments  of  us, 
the  apostles  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour.  Knowing  this, 
first,  that  there  shall  come  in  the  last  days  scoffers, 
walking  after  their  own  lusts,  and  saying,  Where  is  the 
promise  of  His  coming  ?  for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep 
all  things  continue  as  they  were  from  the  beginning." 
The  great  doctrine  of  the  Christian  religion — that  which 
has  been  preached  from  the  beginning  of  Christianity  to 
this  day  as  one  of  its  most  glorious  and  sublime  truths — 
is,  "  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ  in  glorious  majesty  to  judge  the  world."  This 
fundamental  tenet  of  the  gospel,  the  apostle  informs  us, 
shall  in  the  last  days  be  assailed  and  reviled.  SCOFFERS 
shall  arise  and  say,  "  Where  is  the  promise  of  His  com- 
ing ?  for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep  all  things  continue 
as  they  were  from  the  beginning."  And  is  it  not  noto- 
rious that  this  doctrine,  one  of  the  most  solemn  and 
fearful  as  well  as  the  most  important  of  Christianity,  is 
practically  ignored  by  multitudes  at  this  day,  some  of 
whom,  under  the  guise  of  religion,  as  Swedcnborgians, 
Spirit  Kappers,  Quakers,  Shakers,  Mormons,  and  others, 
attempt  to  destroy  it  by  explaining  it  away  ?  And 
others,  more  bold  in  infidelity,  treat  it  as  an  exploded 
theory,  or  dogma  of  the  dark  ages,  which  will  not  stand 
the  test  of  philosophical  scrutiny,  or  the  advanced  intel- 
ligence of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  tendency  of  the 
human  rnind  to  derogate  from  the  transcendent  impor- 


THE    NEW   DISPENSATION.  209 

tance  of  this  truth  is  one  of  the  fearful  signs  of  the  near 
approach  of  the  latter  days,  according  to  the  word  of 
God. 

But  why  is  this  great  truth  assailed  by  scoffers  ?  The 
reason  assigned  is,  because  of  its  long  delay.  Our  Sa- 
viour teaches  us  this  in  one  of  His  parables.  The  evil 
servant  to  whom  was  delivered  a  trust,  saying,  "  Occupy 
till  I  come/'  shall  say  in  his  heart,  "  My  Lord  delayeth 
his  coming,"  and  therefore  shall  begin  to  smite  his  fellow- 
servants,  and  eat  and  drink  with  the  drunken.  "  Scoff- 
ers shall  arise,  walking  after  their  own  lusts."  The  tend- 
ency to  luxury  and  sensuality  lies  at  the  bottom  of  this 
heresy ;  and  intellectual  pride  and  infidelity  is  another 
powerful  ingredient  of  the  spreading  poison.  For,  says 
the  apostle,  in  the  chapter  from  which  the  text  is  taken, 
"  This  they  are  willingly  ignorant  of,  that  by  'the  word 
of  the  Lord  the  heavens  were  of  old,  standing  out  of  the 
water  and  in  the  water."  This  was  the  chaotic  state  of 
the  earth,  while  yet  darkness  "lay  on  the  face  of  the 
deep,"  and  before  God  had  "  separated  the  waters  from 
the  dry  land,  calling  the  dry  land  earth,  and  the  gath- 
ering together  of  the  waters  sea."  Previous  to  this 
the  earth  stood  as  it  were  out  of  the  water  and  in  the 
water  :  both  were  mixed. 

This  was  the  first  condition  of  the  globe.  Creation 
brought  it  into  that  state  of  order  and  beauty  in  which 
we  find  it  when  Adam  was  formed  to  be  its  lord.  Now 
that  beautiful  world,  which  was  formed  out  of  chaos, 
was  overflowed  with  water,  and  perished.  That  deluge 
of  wrath,  which  swept  from  it  every  living  thing,  and 
covered  its  whole  surface  for  more  than  one  hundred  and 


210  THE   NEW   DISPENSATION. 

fifty  days,  utterly  defaced  its  beauty,  and  changed  its 
form  and  quality,  especially  as  an  abode  of  health,  which 
we  see  in  the  rapid  shortening  of  human  life  immediate- 
ly after  the  flood.  But  if  a  world  so  beautiful  as  the  first 
was  destroyed,  what  is  to  be  the  fate  of  the  present 
world  ?  Is  there  not  a  strong  probability  that  it  too 
may  be  laid  in  ruins  ?  They  who  say  it  never  will  be, 
and  scout  such  an  idea  as  absurd,  the  apostle  says,  are 
willingly  ignorant  of  the  past.  They  disbelieve  the 
Word  of  G-od,  and  therefore  reason  only  from  their  own 
imaginations  ;  but,  he  adds,  "  The  heavens  and  the 
earth,  which  are  now  by  the  same  Word,"  (i.  e.,  of  God's 
purpose,)  "  are  kept  in  store,  reserved  unto  fire  against 
the  day  of  judgment/'  (which  is  the  day  of  Christ's  sec- 
ond coming,)  "and  perdition  of  ungodly  men."  And 
what  shall  be  the  result  of  that  devastating  fire  ?  Shall 
any  thing  arise  out  of  that  conflagration,  or  shall  the 
annihilation  of  the  earth  follow  ?  Our  text  declares, 
"  Nevertheless  we,  according  to  His  promise,  look  for 
new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  right- 
eousness." The  doctrine  of  our  text,  therefore,  is, 

1.  That  upon  this  globe  which  we  inhabit,  there  is  to 
be  founded  a  new  order  of  things,  as  different  from  the 
present  as  the  present  is  from  the  antediluvian  world, 
and  that, 

2.  As  the  change  from  the  antediluvian  to  the  pres- 
ent was  by  the  waters  of  a  flood,  so  the  change  from  the 
present  to  the  millennial,  called  in  our  text  "  new  heaven 
and  new  earth,"  will  be  by  a  desolating  fire. 

3.  That  this  last  destruction  by  fire  will  no  more  prevent 
the  repeopling  of  the  globe,  than  the  first  by  water  did. 


THE   NEW   DISPENSATION.  211 

4.  And  that  the  population  of  that  "world  to  come 
whereof  we  speak/'  will  be  different  from  that  of  "  this 
present  world"  for  while  in  this,  iniquity  prevails,  in  that 
shall  dwell  righteousness. 

Here,  then,  we  have  before  us  an  entire  new  order  of 
things,  so  different  from  the  present  and  the  past,  that  it 
can  be  looked  upon  in  no  other  light  than  as  an  entirely 
NEW  DISPENSATION,  a  reorganizing  of  society  on  a 
new  basis,  political,  social,  and  religious.  This,  in  the 
regular  order  of  subjects,  is,  therefore,  the  theme  of  our 
present  discourse,  viz.,  the  INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  NEW 

DISPENSATION. 

To  those  who  have  always  been  accustomed,  without 
enquiry  or  reflection,  to  consider  Christianity  as  the  last 
form  of  obedience  and  probation  that  would  be  given  to 
the  human  race  before  the  consummation  of  all  things, 
it  may  seem  strange  to  speak  of  another  dispensation  yet 
to  come,  in  which  the  present  gospel  system  will  be  su- 
perseded for  another  more  glorious.  We  look  with  so 
much  apprehension  and  disfavor  upon  all  attempts,  at  the 
present  day,  to  supplant  the  gospel  system  by  new  theories 
of  moral  or  social  reform,  that  we  naturally  listen  with 
prejudice  to  any  suggestion  favoring  the  idea.  We  feel 
on  the  subject  of  Christianity  as  the  Jews  feel  still  about 
Judaism,  viz.,  that  it  is  a  system  so  perfect  that  nothing 
can  ever  take  its  place  ;  and  yet  their  feelings  are  no 
test  of  truth,  for  Judaism  gave  place  to  Christianity,  a 
more  perfect  development  :  and  why  ma^  not  Christi- 
anity give  place  to  another  system  still  more  peifect 
than  itself  ?  We  shall  attempt  to  show  you  that  it 
not  only  may,  and  will,  but  must.  But  before^  how- 


212  THE   NEW   DISPENSATION. 

ever,   we  enter  on  this  task,  let  us  give  a  brief  his- 
tory, 

1.  Of  the  different  dispensations  of  God's  grace  to  the 
children  of  men. 

2.  How  each  was  introduced. 

3.  How   each   terminated,   or    by   what    means   was 
brought  to  a  close. 

1.  By  a  dispensation,  we  mean  simply  a  Divine  method 
of  promulgating  truth  and  establishing  worship.  Its 
author  must  be  God.  No  human  power  can  introduce 
any  system  of  doctrine,  or  form  of  worship,  obligatory  on 
mankind.  The 

First  dispensation  given  to  the  world  was  the  Adamic. 
This  seems  to  have  been  exceedingly  simple.  The  law 
of  sacrifice,' together  with  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  and 
the  law  of  marriage,  are  the  only  written  records  we  have 
of  this  dispensation.  What  observances  were  handed 
down  by  tradition  we  know  not  of.  The 

Second  was  the  Noatic.  This  was  an  enlargement  of 
the  former,  and  embraced  what  is  called  the  seven  pre- 
cepts of  Noah.  The 

Third  was  the  Abrahamic.  .This,  to  all  the  foregoing, 
added  the  rite  of  circumcision,  and  contained  important 
revelations  concerning  the  promised  Messiah,  particular- 
ly of  His  descent.  The 

Fourth  was  the  Mosaic.  This  embraced  a  very  exten- 
sive and  full  system  of  doctrines  and  duties,  civil,  relig- 
ious, and  political,  contained  at  large  in  the  five  books 
of  Moses.  The 

Fifth  was  the  Christian,  the  doctrines  and  principles 
of  which  are  contained  in  the  New  Testament,  and  em- 


THE   NEW   DISPENSATION.  213 

braces  so  much  of  all  the  former  dispensations  as  har- 
monize with  its  teachings.     The 

Sixth  will  be  the  millennial,  or  that  NEW  DISPEN- 
SATION of  which  we  shall  speak  more  at  large  pres- 
ently. And  the 

Seventh  will  be  the  new  Jerusalem  state,  that  final 
and  closing  dispensation,  when  "  Christ  will  deliver  up 
the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father  ;"  when,  the  work 
of  redemption  being  complete,  the  season  of  human 
probation  will  be  finally  terminated.  Concerning  the 
difference  between  these  last  two,  we  expect  to  treat 
more  at  large  in  a  future  discourse.  These  seven  dis- 
pensations (seven  being  the  perfect  number  in  Scrip- 
ture) complete  the  entire  course  of  Divine  culture  and 
discipline  given  to  the  human  race  for  its  perfection. 

2.  Let  us  notice  how  each  of  these  dispensations  were 
introduced. 

We  will  find  each  of  the  five  past  to  have  been  inaugu- 
rated by  personal  communication  and  revelation  from 
God. 

To  Adam  He  appeared,  and  conversed,  and  revealed 
his  will,  and  confirmed  His  covenant,  making  the  tree  of 
life  the  seal  of  it. 

To  Noah  He  appeared,  and  conversed,  gave  His  law, 
and  then  confirmed  a  new  covenant,  making  the  rainbow 
the  seal  of  it. 

To  Abraham  He  appeared,  and  conversed,  and  made 
known  His  will,  and  confirmed  a  new  covenant,  making 
circumcision  the  seal  of  it. 

To  Moses  He  appeared,  and  conversed,  and  revealed 
His  law  in  the  hearing  of  all  Israel,  and  made  a  new  cov- 


214  THE   NEW   DISPENSATION. 

enant,  and  appointed  the  sprinkling  of  blood  the  seal  of 
it  ;  for,  as  Saint  Paul  says,  "  when  Moses  had  spoken 
every  precept  to  the  people  according  to  the  law,  he  took 
the  blood  of  calves  and  goats,  with  water,  and  scarlet 
wool,  and  hyssop,  and  sprinkled  both  the  book  and  all 
the  people,  saying,  this  is  the  blood  of  the  covenant 
which  God  hath  enjoined  unto  you." 

To  the  apostles,  "  God,  who  appeared  at  sundry  times 
and  in  divers  manners  to  the  fathers  by  the  prophets," 
appeared  by  His  Son,  and  showed  them,  through  Him, 
those  higher  mysteries  of  redemption  and  salvation  which 
were  unknown  to  all  former  ages,  but  were  now  made 
manifest  for  the  enlightening  of  all  nations  ',  and  the 
God-Man  established  the  new  covenant,  into  which  we 
have  been  brought,  by  appointing  Baptism  and  the  Holy 
Supper  as  seals  of  it. 

The  next  dispensation  will  also  be  introduced  by  the 
visible  agency  of  the  Son  of  God,  as  we  shall  show  in  its 
proper  place  ;  but  what  the  laws  thereof  will  be,  and 
what  the  seals  of  the  new  covenant  then  made,  can  not 
now  be  known,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  last  dispen- 
sation, the  new  Jerusalem  state. 

Having  shown  the  way  in  which  each  of  these  dispen- 
sations was  introduced,  let  us  notice, 

3.  The  manner  in  which  they  each  terminated.  If 
their  several  introductions  were  remarkable,  their  seve- 
ral terminations  were  not  less  so.  As  they  were  all  in- 
troduced by  direct  interposition  and  communication  from 
God,  so  they  were  all  terminated  by  awful  judgments 
from  heaven.  They  began  in  mercy,  but  ended  in  wrath. 
Thus  the 


THE   NEW   DISPENSATION.  215 

Adamic  dispensation,  which  commenced  in  Paradise, 
ended  with  the  flood. 

The  Noatic,  which  commenced  immediately  after  the 
deluge,  when  God  smelled  a  sweet  savor  in  the  sacrifice 
of  that  just  man  and  blessed  him,  ended  in  the  over- 
throw of  the  five  cities  of  the  plain. 

The  Abrahamic  dispensation,  which  began  soon  after 
that  overthrow,  when  God  made  a  covenant  with  Abra- 
ham, terminated  in  the  desolation  of  Egypt  and  the 
overthrow  of  Pharaoh  and  his  hosts  in  the  Bed  Sea. 

The  Mosaic  dispensation,  which  commenced  in  the 
wilderness  at  mount  Sinai,  ended  in  the  destruction  of 
Jersusalem,  and  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews.  And 

The  Christian,  which  commenced  when  our  Lord  sent 
forth  His  disciples  to  preach  the  gospel  throughout  all  the 
world,  but  more  particularly  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  will 
come  to  its  end  in  that  great  battle  of  Armageddon,  of 
which  we  spoke  in  a  former  lecture. 

The  Millennial  dispensation,  which  shall  be  introduced 
at  the  second  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man,  will  cease  when 
Satan,  let  loose  again  for  a  little  season  after  his  bond- 
age of  a  thousand  years,  gathers  his  great  armies  from 
the  four  quarters  of  the  earth,  and  attacks  the  camp  of 
the  saints  of  the  Most  High.  That  glorious  dispensation 
will  also  close  by  that  last  act  of  judgment,  the  casting 
of  him  and  his  hosts  for  ever  in  the  lake  of  fire  ;  when 
the  new  Jerusalem  state,  the  last  dispensation  of  God's 
mercy  and  love,  the  eternal  state,  will  begin. 

Upon  a  review  of  all  the  dispensations  of  God's  grace 
to  the  children  of  men,  we  find  their  beginnings  to  have 
all  been  bright  and  promising,  their  endings  dark  and 


216  THE   NEW   DISPENSATION. 

overwhelming.  When  we  view  them  separately,  they 
each  show  the  folly  and  weakness  and  depravity  of 
human  nature,  and  the  constant  tendency  of  mankind 
to  degeneracy  and  departure  from  God  ;  and  when  we 
view  them  collectively,  the  solemn  lesson  they  teach  is 
that  rain  and  misery  may  in  one  hour  be  introduced  into 
a  world,  and  overspread  and  desolate  it,  which  ages  upon 
ages  of  remedial  processes,  and  counteracting  influences 
may  be  unable  to  expel. 

But  let  us  turn  our  attention  more  particularly  to 
that  new  dispensation  which  shall  succeed  the  present, 
and  which  in  our  text  is  called  the  "  new  heavens  and  new 
earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." 

The  heavens  and  the  earth,  or  the  firmament  and 
terraqueous  globe,  which  now  make  this  "  present  world," 
have  both  undergone  sad  changes  since  the  creation. 
The  atmospheric  regions,  which  are  often  the  places  of 
storms  and  tempests,  frequently  also  generate  disease 
and  spread  pestilence  over  whole  continents.  Impurity 
of  atmosphere  is  a  prolific  cause  of  sickness  and  death,  and 
always  will  be  until  the  world  is  purified  by  that  refin- 
ing process  which  separates  the  dross  from  the  pure  gold  ; 
Hence  the  elements  melting  with  fervent  heat  is  but  the 
order  appointed  for  renovating  them  and  making  the  new 
heavens.  So  also  of  the  "  earth  defiled/'  as  the  Prophet 
Isaiah  says,  xxiv.  5,  for  so  many  ages  a  under  the  inhab- 
itants thereof,"  it  is  the  refiner's  fire  of  the  conflagration 
scene  that  must  purge  away  the  dross  and  filth  which  ages 
have  accumulated  upon  its  polluted  surface.  All  the 
monuments  of  sin  must  be  demolished,  its  hiding-places 
discovered  and  overthrown,  and  a  total  purgation  of  all 


THE    NEW   DISPENSATION.  217 

its  wicked  works  and  ways  be  made.  This  will  be  the 
material  part  of  the  new  heavens,  and  new  earth  of  the 
Age  to  come.  So  great  a  change  in  external  objects  will 
be  attended  with  a  corresponding  change  in  its  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  state.  This  is  expressed  by  the  words 
"  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness/'  In  all  the  former 
dispensations  of  God's  grace  to  man,  iniquity  has  pre- 
vailed over  truth  and  justice,  meekness  and  piety  ;  now 
the  reverse  shall  be  the  case — righteousness  shall  be  in 
the  ascendency,  and  this  shall  be  the  result  of  two 
causes  :  first,  Satan,  the  great  tempter  and  deceiver  of 
mankind,  shall  be  bound  and  cast  out  of  the  earth  ;  and 
second,  the  Son  of  God  shall  reign  in  person,  whose 
scepter  is  a  scepter  of  righteousness,  and  all  nations  shall 
serve  and  obey  Him.  The  government  He  shall  establish 
over  the  redeemed  earth  shall  be  a  pure  theocracy,  "  ONE 
Lord,"  and  His  name  ONE,  and  "from  the  rising  of  the 
sun  to  the  going  down  of  the  same,  incense  shall  be  of- 
fered unto  His  name  and  a  pure  offering." 

It  must  be  evident  to  every  reflecting  mind  that  many 
of  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  Christianity,  as  well  as 
many  of  its  exhortations  and  prayers,  would  be  as  totally 
inapplicable  to  that  state  of  the  Church  as  some  of  the 
laws  of  the  Jewish  dispensation  are  to  the  Christian 
Church  now  existing  ;  e.  g., 

It  could  no  longer  be  said  then  as  now  of  the  Church, 
"  Fear  not,  little  flock,  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure 
to  sjive  you  the  kingdom,"  for  the  Church  then  will  em- 
brace the  ivhole  world,  not  a  few  out  of  the  many.  Neither 
will  the  teachings  of  our  Saviour  during  His  first  advent 
be  applicable  to  that  period:  "Wide  is  the  gate  and 

10 


218  THE    NEW   DISPENSATION. 

broad  is  the  way  which  leadeth  to  destruction,  and  many 
there  be  that  go  in  thereat;  straight  is  the  gate  and  nar- 
row is  the  way  which  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be 
that  find  it,"  for  all  will  then  know  the  Lord  from  the  least 
to  the  greatest.  All  that  teaching  of  our  Lord  and  His 
apostles  which  declared  that  "  in  this  world  His  disci- 
ples should  have  tribulation/'  should  be  "persecuted  and 
suffer  reproach,"  will  be  inapplicable  to  that  period  when 
universal  harmony  will  prevail.  All  the  cautions  against 
the  snares  of  Satan  and  the  wiles  of  the  devil  will  be  use- 
less, for  Satan  will  be  bound  and  cast  in  the  bottomless 
pit,  that  he  may  deceive  the  nations  no  longer.  All  the 
warnings  against  Antichrist,  and  other  seducers  and  her- 
etics, will  be  unnecessary,  for  all  these  shall  have  been 
cut  off. 

So  also  with  regard  to  many  duties  which  are  strongly 
urged,  such,  e.  g.,  as  fasting  on  account  of  some  pressing 
of  impending  judgment.  "  How  can  the  children  of  the 
bridechamber  fast  when  the  bridegroom  is  with  them  ?" 
The  presence  of  the  Saviour  and  His  happy  reign  will 
diffuse  joy  all  around  :  fasting  would  be  out  of  place. 
So  also  all  days  of  humiliation  for  deprecation  of  the 
plague  or  any  temporal  calamity.  There  shall  he  "  noth- 
ing to  hurt  or  destroy." 

So  also  with  regard  TO  PEAYEKS.  Many  of  those 
we  now  offer  will  be  inapplicable  at  that  time.  Even  the 
Lord's  prayer  will  become  obsolete,  for  how  could  we  ask 
any  more  that  His  KINGDOM  MIGHT  COME,  when  it  had 
already  come?  or  that  His  will  might  be  done  on  earth  as 
it  is  in  heaven,  when  all  served  and  obeyed  Him,  and 
His  kingdom  ruled  over  all  ? 


THE   NEW  DISPENSATION.  219 

Our  liturgy  would  greatly  need  to  be  reformed  to  be 
suited  to  the  circumstances  of  that  period.  All  that  re- 
lates to  battle,  murder,  heresy,  schism,  and  the  many 
disorders  of  the  present  period,  will  be  as  much  out  of 
place  at  that  time  as  the  prayer, and  song  of  Moses  at  the 
Red  Sea  would  be  at  this  age.  Not  but  that  it  may  be 
of  use  to  all  to  read  and  reflect  upon  all  these  things, 
and  learn  from  them  what  the  state  of  society  was  when 
they  were  used,  just  as  we  now,  from  the  Mosaic  rites, 
learn  how  society  was  ordered  when  they  were  practiced. 
In  all  probability,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
will  then  be  discontinued,  for,  as  the  command  to  keep 
this,  was  only  TILL  HE  COME,  i.  e.,  in  remembrance  of 
Him  during  His  absence  ;  so  when  He  comes,  we  may  no 
longer  be  required  to  commemorate  His  death. 

It  is  evident  from  the  Old  Testament  Prophecies,  that 
sacrifices  will  be  partially  restored,  though  it  would  seem 
not  as  propitiatory  but  as  eucharistic,  (vide  Ezekiel,  xliii. 
18-27;  Isaiah,  Ix.  7,)  and  it  is  beyond  question,  that  the 
feast  of  tabernacles  will  be  made  obligatory  on  all  na- 
tions to  keep  once  a  year  at  Jerusalem.  This  is  without 
doubt  the  plain  meaning  of  the  Prophet  Zechariah,  xiv. 
17-19,  while  Ezekiel  seems  to  go  further,  and  sets  forth 
a  ritual  of  service  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  to  that 
of  the  ancient  Jewish,  chapters  xl. — xlv.  It  is  probably 
not  far  from  the  truth  to  say,  that  as  the  former  dispen- 
sation was  almost  exclusively  Jewish,  and  the  present 
Gentile,  the  succeeding  one  may  be  such  a  blending  of  the 
two  that  each  may  find  in  it  something  of  that  which 
He  preferred  and  delighted  in  ;  but  of  this  we  can  only 
speak  rather  inferentially  than  positively. 


220  THE    NEW   DISPENSATION. 

The  great  feature,  however,  of  that  new  dispensation 
will  Le  its  THEOCKATIC  CHARACTER,  or  that  per- 
fect union  between  Church  and  State  which  has  always 
been  in  this  dispensation  so  much  abused  whenever  es- 
tablished, either  to  the  corrupting  of  the  Church,  or  the 
enslaving  of  the  State.  The  Redeemer  Himself,  will,  as 
the  Prophet  Zechariah  says,  vi.  13,  sit.  as  a  priest  on  His 
throne,  and  execute  righteousness  and  truth  among  all 
nations.  A  THEOCRACY  is  undoubtedly  the  most 
perfect  system  of  government  in  the  world,  if  purely  ad- 
ministered, and  promotes  the  temporal  happiness,  moral 
advancement,  and  well-being  of  a  people,  to  a  greater  de- 
gree than  any  other  system  can  do,  if  properly  carried 
out.  It  requires  those  in  authority,  as  well  as  those  under 
authority,  to  be  obedient  to  God,  and  gives  no  liberty  to 
rulers  to  outrage  the  moral  sense  of  mankind  by  their 
vices,  under  the  plea  that  "  the  king  can  do  no  wrong." 
It  holds  all  men  to  a  strict  accountability  to  the  law  of 
God,  even  in  this  life,  and  punishes  blasphemy  and  adul- 
ery,  as  it  does  murder  and  apostacy  from  divine  institu- 
tions as  treason  and  rebellion  against  the  State.  The  only 
difficulty  heretofore  with  such  a  form  of  government  has 
been  the  want  of  virtue  to  carry  it  out.  Perhaps  it  never 
attained  to  greater  perfection  than  in  the  days  of  Sam- 
uel. He  was  a,  just  and  wise  ruler,  and  administered  the 
law  in  the  fear  of  God.  But  the  nation  became  corrupt- 
ed and  weary  of  the  government  of  God,  and  clamored 
for  a  change,  and  God  "gave  them  a  king  in  His  anger, 
and  took  him  away  in  His  wrath." 

Under  the  present  dispensation,  the  Church  of  Rome 
has  attempted  to  establish  a  theocracy  in  the  Papacy, 


THE   NEW   DISPENSATION.  221 

which,  so  far  from  being  an  institution  of  heaven,  is  only 
Satan's  counterfeit  of  that  Divine  system  which  our  Lord 
will  establish  in  the  new  dispensation.  The  evils  which 
this  spurious  theocracy  has  brought  upon  the  world,  no 
doubt  have  hud  much  to  do  with  the  increasing  determi- 
nation in  the  minds  of  men  to  separate  religion  entirely 
from  affairs  of  state,  and  yet  this  can  not  be  done  without 
extreme  peril.  To  vote  God  and  His  cause  out  of  doors 
is  a  hazardous  step  for  any  nation  to  take.  If  the  Bible 
is  His  word,  and  Christ  His  Son,  and  the  Church  a  vine 
of  His  own  planting,  it  is  dangerous  for  any  state  to  say 
it  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  either,  let  them  take  care 
of  themselves.  That  it  will  not  in  its  official  capacity 
recognize  them  as  of  God,  or  as  obligatory  on  society, 
neither,  on  the  other  hand,  will  it  do  them  any  harm. 
This  attitude  of  neutrality  and  indifference  to  God's  cause 
He  certainly  can  not  look  upon  with  any  favor.  Men 
can  not  divest  themselves  of  their  obligations  to  Him  by 
associating  themselves  together  in  civil  and  political  rela- 
tions. The  object  of  the  theocracy  originally  was  that 
God  should  be  acknowledged  in  all  the  relations  of  life ; 
that  His  will  should  rule  in  every  thing ;  that  He  should 
be  all  and  in  all.  And  is  not  this  right  ?  Who  would 
exclude  Him  from  any  thing  ?  But  a  theocracy  at  the 
present  day  is  an  utter  impracticability,  and  for  this  sim- 
ple reason  :  mankind  are  so  distracted  in  religious  opin- 
ions that  they  can  not  unite  on  any  system  of  religious 
truth  ;  they  can  not  agree  what  the  word  of  God  or  what 
His  Church  is  ;  and  whether  or  not  Christ  is  His  Son 
and  the  Saviour  of  the  world  ;  multitudes  affirm,  and 
greater  multitudes  deny;  and  a  theocracy  (without  a  gen- 


222  THE   NEW   DISPENSATION. 

cral  acknowledgment  of  these  truths,)  would  be  an  ab- 
surdity. But  when  the  "'times  of  the  restitution  of  all 
things,  which  God  has  spoken  by  the  mouth  of  His  holy 
servants  the  prophets,"  shall  arrive,  and  He  "  shall  again 
send  forth  that  Jesus  who  has  so  long  been  preached  to 
us,"  and  He  shall  "come  in  the  glory  of  His  Father"  to 
take  possession  of  the  earth,  and  shall  overthrow  all 
iniquity  and  every  false  system,  political  and  religious, 
and  every  institution  of  Satan,  and  the  four  hundred  and 
fifty  millions  of  idolaters,  and  the  one  hundred  and  sixty 
millions  of  Papists,  and  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions 
of  Mohammedans,  and  the  eighty  millions  of  Greek,  Ar- 
menian, Nestorian,  and  other  Eastern  Christians,  and 
the  ninety  millions  of  Protestants,  besides  hosts  of  infi- 
dels, skeptics,  and  unbelievers  who  reject  every  form  of 
faith  ; — when  all  these  shall  have  been  subdued,  either 
by  the  power  of  His  wrath  or  the  power  of  His  truth, 
then  there  will  be  a  readiness  for  the  establishment  of 
one,  UNIVERSAL  SYSTEM,  in  which  the  will  of  God  will 
reign  supreme,  A  dispensation  of  unity  in  faith  and 
worship  will  then  arise,  which  will  show  a  united  world, 
a  race  brought  at  last  into  harmony  with  itself  and  with 
God,  through  the  agency  of  His  Son. 

There  are  several  subordinate  circumstances  which  will 
powerfully  contribute  to  this  happy  union  of  all  nations 
in  the  faith  and  worship  established  at  that  period,  in 
connection  with  the  PRESENCE  AND  POWER  OF 
CHRIST,  which  must  always  be  acknowledged  as  the 
great  producing  cause.  These  circumstances  are  : 

1.  One  visible  Head  over  all  the  earth,  its  acknowl- 
edged Sovereign,  whose  decrees  are  acknowledged  to  be 


THE   NEW   DISPENSATION.  223 

all  wise,  and  from  whose  decision  there  will  be  no  appeal 
Of  His  infallibility  none  will  entertain  a  doubt.  What- 
ever directions  emanate  from  Him,  all  will  regard  as  the 
voice  of  unerring  wisdom.  The  Koman  pontiff  aims  to 
occupy  this  position  to  the  world  at  the  present  day,  and 
in  this  dispensation,  and  has  for  ages  past  claimed  infal- 
libility for  his  decisions  in  doctrine  and  worship.  But 
not  one  fifth  of  the  human  family  recognize  his  claim, 
while  hundreds  of  millions  utterly  laugh  it  to  scorn. 
The  world  acknowledges  no  one  to  be  authority  in  mat- 
ters of  faith,  therefore  it  continues  distracted.  But  when 
the  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD,  the  SUN  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS, 
shall  arise  upon  all  nations  in  the  glory  of  His  second 
advent,  All  shall  feel  that  the  long  night  of  error  and 
doubt  has  passed  away,  and  the  glorious  day  of  light 
and  truth  for  all  nations  has  come,  and  shall  open  their 
hearts  to  receive  His  instructions,  He  shall  have  one 
fold,  and  they  one  shepherd,  and  All  feed  in  the  same 
pasture. 

2,  One  language  shall  then  also  prevail  over  all  the 
earth,  and  be  the  sacred  speech  of  universal  worship. 
This,  we  think,  is  taught  by  the  Prophet  Zephaniah,  iii.  9, 
who  says,  having  spoken  of  the  battle  of  Armageddon 
and  the  general  conflagration,  in  these  words,  "  there- 
fore, wait  ye  upon  me,  for  my  determination  is  to  gather 
the  nations,  that  I  may  assemble  the  kingdoms,  to  pour 
out  on  them  all  my  fierce  anger,  for  all  thu  earth  shall 
be  devoured  with  the  fire  of  my  jealousy."  "  Then,"  He 
adds,  "  will  I  turn  to  the  people  a  pure  language,"  (i.  e.9 
a  speech  unmixed  with  impure  dialects,)  "that  they  may 
all  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  to  serve  Him  with  one 


224  THE   NEW    DISPENSATION. 

consent/'  The  whole  earth  was  once  of  one  language 
and  of  one  speech.  That  language,  (which  is  generally 
believed  to  have  been  the  Hebrew,  the  language  of  Adam 
and  Noah,  and  all  generations  between  them,)  that  lan- 
guage was  confounded  at  Babel  to  defeat  an  evil  purpose 
in  which  men  were  then  engaged,  and  its  purity  lost  to 
the  great  majority  of  men.*  Being  unable  to  understand 
each  other,  they  dispersed  abroad  over  the  earth,  con- 
versing in  new  and  various  tongues,  and  from  that  period 
to  the  present  there  has  been  an  effectual  barrier  against 
any  unity  of  purpose  among  them,  in  consequence  of  the 
difficulty  of  holding  communication,  or  enjoying  social 
intercourse. 

But  when  the  happy  period  shall  arrive,  when  all  na- 
tions shall  agree  to  worship  the  same  Lord  in  the  same 
manner,  may  it  not  be  expected  that  God  will  restore  to 
them  again  a  "pure  language,  a  common  speech  ?"  For 
if  the  confounding  of  their  language  was  a  punishment 
for  rebellion,  restoring  it  would  be  the  praper  reward  for 
united  return  to  His  service.  This  seems  to  be  the 
meaning  of  the  prophet  we  have  quoted.  The  unintel- 

*  The  language  which  God  gave  to  Adam  in  Paradise  may  be  called 
"pure,"  when  compared  with  those  many  tongues  invented  by  men  after 
the  dispersion  at  Babel.  If  that  was  the  original  vehicle  of  thought  in 
which  the  Old  Testament  was  written,  and  which  has  been  so  wonderfully 
preserved  as  a  living  tongue  by  that  remarkable  people,  of  whom  God  says, 
Isaiah,  Ixvi.,  "  I  will  take  of  you  for  priests  and  for  Levites,  and  they  shall 
declare  my  glory  among  the  Gentiles  ;  for  as  the  new  heavens  and  the 
new  earth,  which  I  will  make,  shall  remain  before  me,  saith  the  Lord,  so 
shall  your  seed  and  your  name  remain ;"  it  is  not  improbable  that  Abra- 
ham's seed  may,  in  Abraham's  language,  go  forth  from  Abraham's  land, 
and  in  the  tongue  in  which  the  Saviour  worshiped  while  on  earth,  declare 
to  Tarshish,  Pul  and  Lud,  to  Tubal,  Javan,  and  the  isles  afar  off,  His  glory 


THE    NEW    DISPENSATION.  225 

ligible  jargon  of  a  thousand  tongues  ia  the  united  wor- 
ship of  the  millennial  age,  would  not  sound  as  agreeable 
to  the  ear,  as  one  harmonious  swell  of  a  pure  speech,  un- 
derstood by  all,  and  going  up  from  all  in  the  same  ac- 
cents of  thanksgiving  and  praise.  We  can  only  touch, 
but  can  not  enlarge  further  on  this  point.  Rome  has  at- 
tempted to  remove  the  difficulty  of  divers  tongues,  in 
the  way  of  general  union,  by  enjoining  the  use  of  the 
Latin  language  in  public  worship,  but  has  failed — as  fail 
she  must  in  all  her  efforts  to  introduce  and  make  uni- 
versal her  system  of  false  pretense,  for  that  glorious  dis- 
pensation is  yet  to  come. 

Lastly,  not  only  shall  there  be  one  visible  Head,  ac- 
knowledged as  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King,  the  sole  Lord 
and  Judge  of  all  laws  and  ordinances  then  to  be  observed  ; 
one  language  in  common  use,  and  spoken  by  all  ;  but 

3.  There  shall  be  one  great  metropolis,  the  seat  of 
royal  power  and  authority,  the  center  and  source  of  re- 
ligious influence  and  of  control  over  the  whole  earth. 
This  shall  be  that  Zion  which  Grod  formerly  chose  to  put 
His  name  there,  and  of  which  He  said,  "  This  is  my  rest 
for  ever  ;  here  will  I  dwell,  for  I  have  desired  it."  This 
sacred  spot  shall,  at  this  period,  be  exalted  above  the 
mountains  and  all  hills,  and  all  nations  shall  flow  to  it ; 
and  He  who  then  and  there  reigns,  will  "  teach  them  of 
His  ways,  and  they  shall  walk  in  His  paths  ;  for  out  of 
Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord 
from  Jerusalem."  Here  again  the  Mother  of  Harlots  has 
attempted  to  counterfeit  this  glorious  state  of  the  Church. 

among  the  Gentiles,  and  the  whole  earth  become  again,  in  the  worship  of 
God,  "  of  one  language  and  of  one  speech." 

10* 


226  THE   NEW   DISPENSATION. 

yet  to  come,  by  making  Rome  the  center  and  source  of 
all  religious  authority  and  influence,  but  has  miserably 
failed  ;  for  it  has  become,  as  Saint  John  declares,  "  a  hold 
of  every  foul  spirit,  a  cage  of  every  unclean  and  batet'ul 
bird."  Revelations,  xviii.  2.  Jerusalem  (when  it  shall 
become  the  city  of  the  great  King,  King  Messiah,  in 
His  second  advent,)  shall  be  the  joy  of  the  WHOLE 
EARTH,  and  the  metropolis  of  the  redeemed  world. 
But  as  this  point  will  be  more  or  less  involved  in  a  suc- 
ceeding lecture,  we  shall  not  dwell  upon  it  any  longer, 
only  remarking  in  conclusion, 

That  this  new  dispensation  of  which  we  have  spoken 
has  its  limits,  as  all  the  former  ones  have  had,  and  is  like 
them  all,  not  an  eternal,  but  only  a  probationary  state. 
Its  duration  will  be  shorter  than  some  of  the  past  dis- 
pensations and  longer  than  others  of  them.  The  Adamic, 
or  patriarchal  dispensation,  as  it  is  sometimes  also  called, 
continued  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty- six  years  ;  the  No- 
atic  dispensation  lasted  four  hundred  and  fifty-one  years  ; 
the  Abrahamic  four  hundred  and  six,  the  Mosaic  four- 
teen hundred  and  eighty-seven,  and  the  Christian  has 
now  continued  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-nine  years, 
i.  e.,  two  hundred  years  longer  than  the  Adamic,  four 
hundred  longer  than  the  Mosaic,  and  fourteen  hundred 
years  longer  than  the  Noatic  or  Abrahamic.  The  new 
dispensation  of  which  we  now  speak,  the  millennial,  takes 
its  name  from  its  duration — millennial,  from  mille  an- 
num, a  thousand  years.  An  old  tradition,  which  the  Jew- 
ish Rabbis  trace  to  the  Prophet  Elijah,  says  the  world 
shall  continue  seven  thousand  years,  two  thousand  years 
without  the  law,  two  thousand  year  under  the  law,  two 


THE   NEW   DISPENSATION.  227 

thousand  years  under  the  Messiah,  and  then  comes  the 
Sabbath,  or  seven  thousandth  year,  when  it  will  have  rest. 
According  to  the  present  system  of  chronology,  this  would 
make  us  yet  nearly  a  century -and  a  half  distant  from  that 
glorious  period.  But  chronology  is  somewhat  uncertain, 
and  therefore  we  can  not,  with  accuracy,  calculate  the 
time  and  the  seasons.  Let  it  be  our  wisdom,  then,  to  be 
like  servants  waiting  for  their  lord,  who,  whether  he  corn- 
eth  at  evening,  or  at  midnight,  or  at  cock  crowing,  may 
find  them  watching  ;  and  especially  since,  in  that  new 
heaven  and  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness, 
perfect  obedience  and  subjection  to  Christ  will  be  the 
reigning  law  of  that  dispensation,  let  us  see  to  it  that 
our  hearts  and  minds,  and  all  our  powers  within  us3  are 
brought  into  that  state  of  perfect  submission  to  His  will, 
which  will  always  make  it  our  highest  delight  to  walk 
in  His  ways,  and  to  do  His  service,  and  fit  us,  if  not  to 
live  as  subjects,  peradventure  to  reign  as  kings  and 
priests  with  Him  a  thousand  years. 


LECTURE     XI. 

THE     FIRST    RESURRECTION    AND   REIGN    OP   THE    SAINTS 
WITH  CHRIST   FOR  A  THOUSAND  YEARS. 

"  And  I  saw  thrones,  and  they  sat  upon  them  and  judgment  was  given 
unto  them  ;  and  I  saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for  the  wit- 
ness of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  which  had  not  worshiped  the 
Beast,  neither  his  image,  neither  had  received  his  mark  upon  their  fore- 
heads, or  in  their  hands,  and  they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thou- 
sand years.  But  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again  until  the  thousand 
years  were  finished.  This  is  the  first  resurrection.  Blessed  and  holy  is 
he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection.  On  such  the  second  death  hath 
no  power,  but  they  shall  be  priests  of  God,  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign 
with  him  a  thousand  years." — REVELATIONS,  xx.  4-6. 

THE  glory  which  shall  be  hereafter  revealed  unto  all 
and  in  all  the  children  of  God,  is  constantly  held  forth 
in  holy  Scripture  as  the  great  persuading  and  animating 
motive  to  us  to  deny  ungodliness,  and  all  worldly  lusts, 
and  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  this  pres- 
ent world.  Concerning  the  nature  of  that  glory,  we  can 
say  nothing  but  what  the  Scriptures  say ;  we  can  only 
speak  as  they  speak.  Concerning  its  degree,  we  are  as- 
sured that  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  hath  it 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  the  things 
which  G-od  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him  ;  and 
concerning  the  heirs  of  that  glory,  all  the  sacred  writers 
are  unanimous  in  the  declaration  that  they  are  only 
those  who  have  become  reconciled  to  God;  through  the 


THE    FIRST    RESURRECTION.  229 

death  of  His  Son,  and  have  become  the  followers  and 
faithful  disciples  of  Christ.  Our  text  presents  us  with 
a  brief  statement  and  a  glimpse  of  some  portion  of 
that  reward  which  is  to  be  given  to  those  for  whom  it  is 
prepared  at  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord.  Having 
treated  in  our  last  discourse  of  that  new  dispensation 
which  shall  be  introduced  when  the  present  one  shall 
close,  that  new  heaven  and  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth 
righteousness,  two  questions  present  themselves  for  our 
consideration. 

1.  Is  that  state  a  purely  spiritual  and  celestial  one,  or 
a  terrestrial  and  celestial  state  united  ? 

2.  Have  the  righteous  dead  a  place,  and  any  special 
privileges  therein  ;  and  if  so  what  are  they  ? 

The  thousand  years'"  reign  of  Christ  on  the  earth  we 
showed  in  our  last  discourse  to  be  one  of  those  several 
dispensations  of  grace  to  the  children  of  men,  of  which 
four  are  already  past,  the  fifth  is  now  present,  and  that 
will  be  the  sixth.  It  is  a  state  of  probation  on  the  earth 
for  living  men,  in  which,  as  in  all  past  ages,  they  will  be 
under  a  covenant  of  obedience,  and  in  a  course  of  prepa- 
ration for  a  still  higher  state.  We  remarked  that  one  of 
the  distinguishing  traits  of  that  dispensation  would  be  its 
theocratic  character.  The  tabernacle  of  God  being  with 
men,  and  He  dwelling  with  them,  the  law  and  govern- 
ment of  God  will  be  supreme  over  all  other  powers. 
Christ  will  be  King  over  all  the  earth,  and  the  throne  of 
David  in  the  Jerusalem  rebuilt  will  be  the  seat  of  His 
royal  dominion.  As  there  never  was  a  king  who  executed 
all  the  powers  of  government  solely  in  his  own  person,  but 
had  many  associated  with,  and  subordinate  to  himself, 


230  THE   FIRST   BESURRECTION 

exercising  administrative,  judicial,  ecclesiastical  and  civil 
functions  in  His  name,  so  in  this  kingdom,  (for  which  we 
constantly  pray  that  it  may  come,)  though  established  in 
the  new  earth,  and  under  the  new  heavens,  and  governed 
by  Christ  in  person,  it  yet  seems  to  be  carried  on  by  the  aid 
of  viceroys,  judges,  priests,  and  teachers  of  various  grades, 
who  will  all  execute  His  commands,  and  apply  the  princi- 
ples of  His  reign  to  all.  Hence  says  our  text,  "  I  saw 
thrones,  and  they  sat  on  them,  and  judgment  was  given 
to  them."  What  thrones  these  were,  and  who  sat  on 
them,  and  who  gave  them  judgment,  i.  e.,  the  power  to 
execute  judgment,  the  remainder  of  the  text  informs  us. 
"  And  I  saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for  the 
witness  of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  that  had 
not  worshiped  the  Beast,  neither  his  image,  neither  had 
received  his  mark  upon  their  forehead,  nor  in  their  hands ; 
and  THEY  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand 
years."  Now  as  those  who  reign,  sit  on  thrones,  here  are 
the  occupants  of  the  thrones  he  saw.  "  I  saw  thrones,  and 
they,"  i.  e,  the  risen  saints,  "sat  on  them,  and  THEY 
lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand  years."  Here 
then  is  the  THEOCRACY,  with  its  whole  staff  of  officers 
fully  organized  ;  and  this  is  the  Millennium,  that  new 
dispensation  of  universal  holiness  which  will  gladden  the. 
earth  at  the  second  advent  of  the  Son  of  Man.  Now  as 
those  who  are  dead  can  only  live  again  by  a  resurrection, 
so  the  apostle  called  this  appearance  of  them  at  this  time 
the  FIRST  resurrection.  He  speaks  very  positively  : 
"  This  is  the  FIRST  RESURRECTION.  Blessed  and 
holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection  ;  on 
such  the  second  death  hath  no  power ;  but  THEY  shall 


AND   REIGN   OF   THE   SAINTS.  231 

be  kings  and  priests  of  God,  and  of  Christ,  and  shall 
reign  with  him  a  thousand  years/' 

The  subject  of  our  discourse  at  this  time  therefore  is 
THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION  AND  REIGN  OF 
THE  SAINTS  WITH  CHRIST  FOR  A  THOUSAND 
YEARS.  This  glorious  event  of  unfulfilled  Prophecy  is 
one  to  which  all  Christians  should  look  forward  with  joy- 
ful hope  and  extatic  delight,  for  in  its  accomplishment 
they  will  find  the  reality  of  that  gracious  promise  of  their 
Lord,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  tbou  hast 
been  faithful  over  a  few  things  ;  be  thou  ruler  over  many 
things  ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  tliy  Lord." 

The  doctrine  of  a  future  resurrection  of  the  body  is 
one  so  fundamental  in  the  Christian  system,  that  we  will 
not  call  your  attention  to  it  by  rehearsing  its  proofs. 
We  continually  profess  it  in  the  Apostles'  creed,  and 
therefore  may  regard  it  as  an  article  of  faith  settled  be- 
yond dispute. 

The  only  point  in  reference  to  the  doctrine,  which  we 
shall  now  undertake  to  show  is,  that  altbough  all  that 
have  ever  died  shall  be  raised  again  to  life,  yet  that  res- 
urrection shall  be  a  very  different  event  to  the  two  class- 
es who  partake  of  it.  Not  only  shall  some  arise  to  honor 
and  glory,  and  others  to  shame  and  everlasting  con- 
tempt ;  but  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  shall  have 
a  long  priority  to  that  of  the  wicked,  as  long  as  the  whole 
period  of  Christ's  reign  on  the  earth,  i.  e.,  one  thousand 
years.  The  common  opinion  that  the  resurrection  of  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked  shall  take  place  at  the  same  time 
is  probably  derived  from  two  passages  of  Scripture,  which 
if  they  stood  alone  would  justify  the  inference  ;  but  as 


232  THE   FIRST   RESURRECTION 

they  must  be  interpreted  in  harmony  with  other  Scrip- 
ture, do  not  necessarily  sustain  such  a  view.  These  are, 

1.  The  declaration  of  our  Lord,  in  John,  v.  28:  "  Mar- 
vel not  at  this,  for  the  hour  is  coming  in  the  which  all 
that  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  His  voice,  and  shall 
come  forth,  they  that  have  done  good  to  the  resurrection 
of  life,  and  they  that  have  done  evil  to  the  resurrection 
of  damnation."  The  other  passage  is  that  which  Saint 
Paul  uttered  before  Felix,  in  which  he  declares  his  be- 
lief in  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just  and  of 
the  unjust.  Because  in  these  general  declarations  on  the 
subject  of  the  resurrection,  no  distinction  is  made  in  point 
of  time  between  that  of  the  just  and  of  the  unjust,  it  is 
inferred  that  they  are  simultaneous  events  ;  and  this  in- 
ference would  be  proper  enough,  were  there  no  other 
passages  which  show  there  is  a  difference  in  the  time  of 
the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  and  of  the  wicked,  and 
how  long  that  difference  is.  Such,  however,  being  the 
case,  the  general  declarations  must  of  course  be  inter- 
preted in  harmony  with  the  specific  ones. 

Now  Saint  Paul,  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Thessalo- 
nians,  iv.  16,  declares  that  the  DEAD  IN  CHRIST  shall  rise 
FIKST.  "  The  Lord  Himself  shall  descend  from  heaven," 
he  declares,  "  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  an  archangel 
and  the  trump  of  God,  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise 
FIRST."  But  how  long  before  the  dead  out  of  Christ,  is 
not  here  declared.  Again  in  1  Corinthians,  xv.  23,  hav- 
ing made  the  general  declaration,  that  as  in  Adam  all  die, 
so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive  ;  he  adds,  "but  every 
man  in  his  own  order,  Christ  the  FIRST  FRUITS,  after- 
ward they  that  are  Christ's"  (i.  e.}  the  righteous  dead,) 


AND   REIGN   OF   THE   SAINTS.  233 

"AT  His  COMING/'  In  this  chapter,  the  resurrection  of  the 
righteous  only  is  treated  of — that  of  the  wicked  is  not  even 
alluded  to — and  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  is  de- 
clared to  be  at  His  coming,  and  that  COMING  is  also  de- 
clared in  various  passages  of  the  Scripture  to  be  WITH 
His  SAINTS,  and  to  "gather  His  elect  from  the  four 
winds  of  heaven,"  to  give  reward  unto  His  saints,  and 
to  them  that  fear.  Him;  and  in  the  text,  it  is  said,  they 
are  raised  to  reign  with  Him  a  thousand  years,  and  this 
is  called  the  FIRST  RESURRECTION.  The  word  first  being 
a  relative  term,  must  have  reference  to  a  second,  and  if 
we  can  determine  when  that  second  resurrection  takes 
place,  then  we  may  decide  how  long  the  first  precedes  it. 
In  verse  7,  of  this  chapter,  the  apostle  says,  when  the 
thousand  years  are  finished,  Satan  is  let  loose  a  little  sea- 
son, and  goes  out  to  deceive  the  nations  which  are  in  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth,  and  gathers  a  great  army  and 
encompasses  the  camp  of  the  saints  and  the  beloved  city, 
and  is  destroyed  by  fire  from  heaven,  after  which  he  sees 
the  "  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God."  In  the 
text,  having  declared  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous  to 
be  to  reign  with  Christ  a  thousand  years,  he  adds,  u  the 
rest  of  the  dead,"  i.  e.,  the  unrighteous  dead,  "lived  not 
again  until  the  thousand  years  ivere  finished."  Now  at 
the  expiration  of  the  thousand  years,  he  sees  these  stand 
before  God,  the  sea  giving  up  its  dead,  and  death  and  hell, 
(i.  e.j  the  grave  and  hades,)  delivering  up  the  dead  which 
were  in  them,  and  all  being  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire,  which 
he  declares  to  be  the  second  death.  In  the  text,  he  had 
asserted  that  those  having  part  in  the  first  resurrection 
were  "  blessed  and  holy,"  because  "  on  them  the  second 


234  THE    FIRST    RESURRECTION 

death  had  no  power."  But  those  raised  and  judged  after 
the  thousand  years  had  passed,  all  fell  under  the  power 
of  the  second  death.  Is  it  not  evident,  therefore,  that 
the  two  resurrections  differ  as  well  in  point  of  time  as 
they  do  in  character  ?  The  first  is  at  the  beginning  of 
the  thousand  years,  the  second,  after  its  expiration.  The 
first  at  the  binding  and  expulsion  of  Satan  from  the 
earth,  the  second,  after  his  being  loosed  for  a  little  sea- 
son. The  first,  to  live  and  reign  with  Christ  on  the  earth, 
the  second  to  be  cast  out  from  His  presence  into  a  place 
of  torment ;  in  other  words,  the  first,  is  the  resurrection 
of  the  just  and  unto  life  ;  the  second,  the  resurrection  of 
the  unjust,  and  unto  damnation;  that  they  are  separated 
from  each  other  by  the  whole  period  of  the  millennium. 
We  are  at  a  loss  to  conceive  how  these  truths  could  be 
expressed  with  more  precision  and  exactness  than  they 
are  in  the  chapter  from  which  our  text  is  taken. 

2.  If  the  point  then  is  established,  that  the  resurrection 
of  the  righteous  is  at  the  beginning  of  the  thousand 
years,  let  us  next  inquire  whether  all  the  godly  dead  are 
raised  at  this  time,  or  only  a  portion  of  them  ?  From 
the  language  of  our  text,  some  have  maintained  that  this 
first  resurrection  is  to  be  only  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  the  righteous  dead,  martyrs  and  confessors,  and  those 
who  have  done  much  and  suffered  much  for  Christ.  They 
suppose  that  the  expression,  "  souls  of  those  that  were 
beheaded  for  the  witness  of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of 
God,  and  which  had  not  worshiped  the  Beast,  neither 
his  image,  nor  had  received  his  mark  upon  their  fore- 
heads or  in  their  hands,"  describes  only  those  who  have 
suffered  a  violent  death  ;  because  in  chapter  xiii.,  where 


AND   REIGN   OF   THE   SAINTS.  235 

the  last  Antichrist  is  described,  who  does  great  wonders, 
so  that  he  makes  fire  to  come  down  out  of  heaven  in 
sight  of  men,  it  is  said,  that  he  compels  all  both  small 
and  great  to  worship  an  image  of  a  Beast  which  he  en- 
dows with  the  power  of  life  and  speech,  and  to  receive  a 
mark  in  their  right  hand  or  forehead,  in  order  to  buy  or 
sell,  and  whosoever  would  not  comply  with  these  orders 
should  be  killed.  Revelations,  xiii.  15. 

The  text,  evidently  referring  to  this  persecution  of 
Antichrist,  declares,  that  those  who  had  not  worshiped 
the  Beast  nor  his  image,  nor  had  received  his  mark  in 
their  forehead  or  in  their  hands,  should  live  and  reign 
with  Christ  a  thousand  years.  But  while  such  language 
includes  those  especially  designated,  it  by  no  means  ex- 
cludes all  others.  In  fact,  all  who  have  lived  before  this 
Beast  came  into  existence,  and  of  course  never  worshiped 
him  or  received  his  mark,  are  included  in  the  terms  of  the 
blessing.  So  that  believers  of  all  ages  are  comprehended 
in  what  seems  at  first  sight  to  be  the  privilege  restricted 
only  to  a  few.  We  conclude,  therefore,  that  the  coming 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  be  with  ALL  HIS  SAINTS  ; 
that  the  children  of  the  first  resurrection  will  be  all  the 
godly  dead,  from  righteous  Abel  to  the  last  believer  that 
shall  depart  this  life  before  the  second  advent.*  As  the 
Prophet  Zechariah  declares,  "  The  Lord  my  God  shall 
come,  and  all  the  saints  with  thee." 

*  Perhaps  the  two  Witnesses,  being  the  last  among  the  slain  by  Anti- 
christ, shall  be  among  the  first  raised  at  the  second  coming  of  Christ  to  de- 
stroy him,  and  thus  be  the  first  fruits  of  that  noble  army  of  martyrs  who 
shall  then,  with  all  who  have  suffered  for  Christ,  be  called  to  reign  with 
Him. 


286  THE   FIRST   RESURRECTION 

In  addition  to  these,  there  will  be  also  the  godly  liv- 
ing who  shall  be  on  the  earth  at  His  appearing.  What 
shall  be  their  state  ?  The  apostle  having  informed  us  in 
the  first  epistle  to  the  Thessalonians,  iv.  16,  that  "  the 
dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first/'  adds,  "  then  we  which 
are  alive  and  remain,  shall  be  caught  up  to  meet  the 
Lord  in  the  air."  "  They  shall  be  changed  in  a  moment, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  sound  of  the  last 
trump."  "  We  shall  not  all  sleep"  says  the  apostle,  i.  e.} 
the  sleep  of  death  ;  "but  we  shall  all  be  changed." 
Those  who  had  put  off  this  corruptible  by  death,  shall 
put  on  incorruption  by  a  resurrection  ;  and  those  who 
had  not  yet  put  off  this  corruptible  by  death  shall  put  it 
off  by  a  translation,  such  as  Enoch  and  Elijah  received, 
who  are  types  of  those  who  shall  be  changed  at  the  sec- 
ond advent  of  Christ,  as  the  saints  who,  at  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ,  came  out  of  their  graves  and  went  into 
the  holy  city  and  appeared  unto  many,  are  types  of 
those  who  at  His  second  advent  shall  awake  from  the 
dust  and  enter  into  glory. 

3.  Let  us  next  examine  the  privileges  and  employ- 
ments of  the  saints  after  their  resurrection  and  trans- 
lation. These  are  described  in  our  text,  viz.,  "  To  live 
and  reign  with  Christ  a  thousand  years." 

His  second  coming  being  to  establish  His  kingdom, 
their  gathering  unto  Him  at  that  time  is  to  be  associated 
with  Him  in  that  kingdom  as  His  servants  and  ambassa- 
dors, His  viceroys  and  priesthood,  and  to  execute  such 
authority  as  He  shall  entrust  to  them.  This  theocratic 
state,  in  which  the  saints  shall  rule  with  Christ,  was  fore- 
told by  the  Prophet  Daniel  long  before  the  first  advent 


AND   REIGN   OF    THE   SAINTS.  237 

^- 

of  our  Lord.  He  declared  that  the  stone  cut  out  of  the 
mountain  without  hands,  and  which  became  a  great 
mountain  and  filled  the  whole  earth,  was  the  kingdom 
which  the  God  of  heaven  would  set  up  after  the  over- 
throw of  all  other  kingdoms  ;  and  that  this  kingdom 
should  not,  like  all  the  former,  he  left  to  other  people, 
but  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  SAINTS  OF  THE  MOST 
HIGH,  and  should  never  be  overthrown.  And  describing 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
he  also  saw  thrones  placed  for  those  who  were  to  be  asso- 
ciated with  Him  in  that  kingdom.  Our  Lord  said  to 
His  apostles,  "  Ye  who  have  followed  me  in  the  regene- 
ration," (i.  e.j  of  the  world,  when  He  that  sits  on  the 
throne  says,  behold  I  make  all  things  new;  a  new  heaven 
and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dvvelleth  righteousness,)  "ye 
shall  sit  on  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel." 
Here  is  a  royal  dominion,  promised  them  at  His  second 
coming.  Describing,  in  another  place,  the  reward  of  His 
faithful  servants,  He  declares,  that  it  shall  be  to  one  to 
have  dominion  over  ten  cities,  to  another  over  five  cities  ; 
showing  in  what  manner  they  reign  with  Him,  viz.,  as 
prefects  and  as  subordinate  officers  throughout  His  king- 
dom. The  whole  earth  shall  probably  be  districted,  and 
such  portions  and  duties  be  assigned  to  each  as  each 
shall  be  qualified  to  perform.  And  here,  undoubtedly, 
one  star  shall  differ  from  another  in  glory.  Some  shall 
have  higher  stations,  and  more  extensive  authority  ; 
others  inferior  stations,  and  a  more  limited  influence. 
The  Prophet  Daniel  intimates  that  none  shall  be  so  con- 
spicuous and  highly  honored  as  those  who  have  been  most 
instrumental  in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  "  They  that 


238  THE   FIRST   RESURRECTION 

turn  many  to  righteousness  shall  shine  as  stars  in  the 
firmament  for  ever  and  ever/' 

It  would,  of  course,  be  impossible  for  us  to  imagine 
or  conjecture  what  will  be  the  endless  variety  of  occupa- 
tions of  all  the  redeemed  in  the  millennial  kingdom.  We 
know  not  how  the  myriads  of  angels  who  now  invisibly 
surround  us,  and  minister  to  them  who  are  the  heirs  of 
salvation,  are  daily  occupied  in  their  works  of  mercy  and 
love.  Suffice  it  to  say,  there  will  be  something  for  all  to 
do,  according  to  their  capacities.  We  know,  from  the 
Saviour's  declaration,  that  the  apostles  will  each  be 
kings,  and  each  have  a  tribe  of  the  restored  Israel  to 
reign  over.  "  Yet  shall  sit  on  thrones,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel."  And  it  is  not  improbable  that  the 
same  spheres  of  usefulness  and  fields  of  labor  in  which 
men  have  been  engaged  in  doing  good  during  life,  may 
be  placed  under  their  dominion  in  the  world  to  come. 
That  dominion  which  was  originally  given  to  man  before 
the  fall,  and  was  lost  by  sin,  the  second  Adam,  who  has 
recovered  by  His  death,  will  again  restore  after  the  res- 
urrection. So  He  assured  His  followers,  Luke,  xiii.  32  : 
"  Fear  not,  little  flock  ;  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure 
to  give  you  THE  KINGDOM."  And  again,  Luke,  xxii. 
30,  "  I  appoint  unto  you  A  KINGDOM,  as  my  Father 
hath  appointed  unto  me,  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at 
my  table,  and  sit  on  thrones  judging  the  TWELVE 
TRIBES  of  Israel."  The  Apostle  Paul  has  assured  us 
that  if  we  suffer  with  Him,  we  shall  also  reign  with  Him; 
and  the  new  song  which  the  apostle  heard  all  the  expect- 
ant saints  sing,  was  fc  unto  the  Lamb,  who  was  worthy  to 
take  the  book  and  loose  the  seals  ;  for  thou  hast  re- 


AND   REIGN   OF   THE    SAINTS.  239 

deemed  us  unto  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred, 
and  nation,  and  people,  and  tongue,  and  made  us  unto 
our  God  KINGS  AND  PRIESTS,  and  we  SHALL  REIGX 
ON  THE  EARTH,"  Revelations,  v.  10.  Was  this  a  de- 
lusive hope  ?  Our  text  declares  it  to  be  a  glorious  real- 
ity. "  They,"t.  e.,  the  children  of  the  first  resurrection, 
"  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand  years  ;  and 
they  were  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ/' 

But  where  there  are  kings  there  must  be  subjects  for 
them  to  rule  over,  and  where  there  are  priests  there  must 
be  people  for  them  to  minister  unto.  Who  are  these 
subjects  ?  and  who  and  where  are  these  people  ?  We 
answer,  they  are  the  nations  of  them  that  are  saved  and 
escape  from  the  overwhelming  judgments  which  shall 
desolate  the  earth  in  the  great  day  of  the  Lord,  and  from 
whom  the  earth  again  shall  be  overspread.  As  from  the 
eight  who  came  out  of  the  ark,  the  world  (which  had 
been  swept  of  its  inhabitants  by  the  flood,)  was  repeopled, 
so  from  the  remnant  that  shall  escape  the  final  conflagra- 
tion a  numerous  posterity  shall  spring  up,  and  again  re- 
people  the  globe  more  numerously  than  ever,  and  over 
these  shall  the  risen  saints  reign,  and  execute  kingly  and 
priestly  offices. 

The  reasons  why  they  shall  be  associated  with  Christ 
in  this  last  dispensation  of  mercy  to  our  world  are  prob- 
ably twofold : 

1.  To  reward  them  for  their  faithfulness  to  Him  dur- 
ing the  trials  of  their  earthly  career,  and 

2.  To  secure  in  the  best  manner  the  happiness  of  the 
human  family  by  a  pure  administration  of  the  laws  of 
His  kingdom. 


240  THE    FIRST   RESURRECTION 

The  binding  of  Satan  and  casting  him  into  the  bot- 
tomless pit  for  a  thousand  years,  by  separating  his  evil 
influences  from  our  race,  and  putting  them  beyond  the 
reach  of  his  diabolical  wiles,  has  saved  them  from  one 
fruitful  cause  of  trouble,  misery,  transgression,  and  evil- 
doing.  But  still  another  remains.  Very  many  of  the 
evils  of  society  in  all  ages  have  flowed  from  bad  govern- 
ment. Incompetent 'or  dishonest  men  have  had  the  mak- 
ing and  administration  of  the  laws,  and  their  virtue  and 
fidelity  have  not  always  been  proof  against  corruption, 
or  oppression,  or  fraud.  In  fact,  human  nature  seems  to 
be  too  weak  and  corrupt  to  act  with  perfect  integrity  in 
those  high  trusts  which  involve  the  dearest  interests  of 
mankind.  Now  to  present  those  evils  to  society  which 
arise  from  bad  laws-  and  bad  rulers  and  magistrates  ;  the 
Kedeemer,  who  is  King  over  a1.!  the  earth,  establishes  a 
new  dispensation  for  mankind,  and  gives  them  laws  which 
emanate  from  His  own  wisdom,  and  then  entrusts  their 
execution  to  those  who  have  been  tried  and  proved  to  be 
faithful,  and  found  to  be  worthy  of  the  first  resurrection, 
and  who,  freed  from  the  temptations  of  our  fallen  nature, 
having  exchanged  this  corruptible  body  for  an  incorrupti- 
ble one,  will  be  actuated  solely  by  considerations  of  the 
public  good  and  Divine  glory.  As  KINGS,  they  will  rule 
under  the  great  King  of  kings  in  righteousness  and  equi- 
ty ;  as  priests,  they  will  officiate  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  Great  High  Priest  in  the  beauty  of 
holiness.  All  causes  of  bickerings  and  jealousies  being 
removed  from  ambitious  aspirants  for  office,  and  the  au- 
thority of  Christ's  agents  being  acknowledged  and  sub- 
mitted to,  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the  world  will  flow 


AND   REIGN   OF   THE    SAINTS.  241 

on  from  age  to  age  like  a  mighty  stream.  It  is  easy  to 
see,  that  if  in  that  dispensation  the  government  of  the 
world  and  the  administration  of  its  affairs  were  still  in 
the  hands  of  fallen  men,  the  same  struggles  for  power, 
which  have  ever  marked  the  history  of  our  race,  and  the 
same  strife  for  office,  with  all  their  demoralizing  and  dis- 
turbing effects  upon  the  harmony  of  society,  would  be 
renewed ;  and,  instead  of  universal  peace,  contentions 
and  wars  would  (as  they  always  have  done,)  spring  up 
and  desolate  the  face  of  the  earth.  Therefore,  power  is 
entirely  taken  out  of  the  hands  of  men  still  in  the  flesh, 
and  given  to  the  RISEN  SAINTS,  who  exercise  it  with 
justice  and  truth  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  saints,  and 
of  the  Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth.  Under  the  former 
theocracy,  the  experiment  was  fully  made  of  an  attempt 
to  administer  the  laws  of  God  by  men,  and  failed.  There 
never  was  a  purer-minded  magistrate  on  earth  than  the 
Prophet  Samuel,  who  was  consecrated  to  the  service  of 
God  from  his  infancy,  and  judged  Israel  forty  years. 
Not  one  single  act  of  oppression,  or  corruption,  or  injus- 
tice in  any  form,  was  ever  laid  to  his  charge.  God,  whose 
deputy  he  was,  to  rule  His  people  of  Israel,  approved 
of  His  administration,  and  even  the  nation  itself,  when 
seeking  a  change  of  government,  publicly  attested  the 
purity  of  all  his  official  acts,  and  yet  they  were  not  satis- 
fied to  have  the  power  remain  where  it  was,  but  ven- 
tured on  that  foolish  experiment  which  brought  such 
manifold  disasters  on  the  nation.  As  a  priest,  also, 
Samuel  was  unremitting  in  duty,  and  blameless  in  life. 
Yet  this  was  no  protection  to  him  against  the  clamors 
of  ambitious  men,  who  desired  to  usurp  some  of  his 


242  THE   FIRST   RESURRECTION 

powers,  or  to  shape  the  policy  of  his  administration  ac- 
cording to  their  pleasure  ;  and  therefore  they  began  to 
agitate  for  his  removal.  And  this  is  a  thing  of  almost 
daily  occurrence  in  every  age  :  man  hates  to  be  under 
the  government  of  his  fellow  man.  Though  the  office 
be  a  Divine  office,  as  for  example  the  Christian  minis- 
try, yet  if  the  incumbent  exercises  the  undoubted  pre- 
rogatives of  his  office,  however  pure  and  blameless  may 
be  his  life,  or  even  eminent  his  qualifications,  somebody 
will  take  exception  to  something,  and  be  offended,  and 
begin  to  agitate  for  his  overthrow.  And  these  move- 
ments do  not  always  proceed  from  the  worst  class  of  so- 
ciety, but  sometimes  from  men  of  the  highest  standing, 
who,  to  gratify  a  personal  pique,  from  the  most  trivial 
cause,  will  disturb  the  peace  and  harmony  of  a  whole 
community.  Often  have  men  who  owe  their  salvation  to 
the  pastor  who  was  the  first  to  turn  them  from  their 
wanderings  and  neglect  of  God  and  His  worship,  and 
gather  them  into  the  fold  of  Christ,  and  given  them  po- 
sition and  influence,  been  the  first  to  lift  up  the  heel 
against  him,  as  Judas  to  his  master,  and  seek  his  over- 
throw. So  that  many  an  one  has  had  to  exclaim  with 
the  betrayed  monarch,  "  And  you,  too,  Brutus  1"  Now 
if  power  both  in  Church  and  State  were  continued  in 
the  hands  of  men  in  the  flesh,  during  the  new  dispensa- 
tion or  millennial  state,  the  same  scenes  would  proba- 
bly occur  which  have  disgraced  all  past  dispensations — 
contests  for  authority  leading  to  acts  of  insubordination 
and  rebellion,  would  be  frequent.  Therefore  Christ  takes 
all  power  out  of  the  hands  of  fallen  men,  and  entrusts  it 
wholly  to  those  who  have  been  raised  above  all  those  in- 


AND   REIGN   OF   THE   SAINTS.  243 

fluences  to  which  they  are  still  subject  in  their  fallen 
state,  viz.,  to  RISEN  SAINTS,  who  will  execute  their  trust 
with  fidelity  to  both  Him  and  them.  THEY  shall  be 
the  kings  and  the  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  live 
and  reign  with  Him  "  a  thousand  years."  The  theoc- 
racy established  in  the  person  of  the  God-Man  will  be 
carried  out  in  the  persons  of  His  redeemed  saints,  and 
this  it  is  which  will  make  that  dispensation  one  of  such 
superior  glory  and  lasting  happiness  to  mankind. 

Many  questions  arise  connected  with  this  subject  which 
we  can  now  only  touch  upon  :  the  full  discussion  of 
them  must  be  left  to  some  future  occasion.  These  are, 

1.  Where  will  these  risen  saints  dwell  in  this  new  dis- 
pensation ?  Will  they  have  their  abodes  among  men,  and 
daily  mingle  with  them  in  the  affairs  of  life  ;  or  be  in 
some  separate  place  from  whence  they  will  issue  for  the 
exercise  of  their  kingly  and  priestly  functions  among 
men  ?  We  answer,  their  abode  seems  to  be  in  that  new 
Jerusalem  which  comes  down  from  God  out  of  heaven, 
and  whose  magnificence  and  glory  are  described  in  chap- 
ter xxi.  of  the  KeveLitions  of  Saint  John.  This  city  of  our 
God,  eternal  in  the  heavens,  i.  e.,  the  aerial  heavens,  is  the 
promised  future  abode  of  all  His  faithful  followers  ;  for 
into  it  entereth  nothing  that  defileth  or  worketh  abomi- 
nation, or  rnaketh  a  lie,  but  only  they  that  are  written  in 
the  Lamb's  book  of  life.  Here  seem  to  dwell  the  risen 
saints,  and  from  hence  to  issue  forth  to  execute  their 
divine  commissions  throughout  the  earth.  The  vision 
of  Jacob's  ladder  is  then  first  realized,  viz.,  constant  com- 
munication between  heaven  and  earth,  by  messengers 
from  the  former  to  the  latter.  From  the  new  heaven, 


24:4  THE   FIRST   RESURRECTION 

wherein  dwell  the  risen  saints  in  the  new  Jerusalem,  to 
the  new  earth,  where  still  remain  the  children  of  men,  in 
the  flesh,  will  the  servants  of  the  King  go  forth  to  exe- 
cute His  commands  among  our  still  fallen  race. 

The  next  question  is,  will  the  state  of  men  on  earth  be 
at  that  time  a  state  of  sin  and  death,  of  sorrow  and  suf- 
fering, as  at  present  ;  or  will  they  be  entirely  exempted 
from  these  evils  under  this  reign  of  Christ  with  His 
saints  ?  We  answer,  these  evils  (it  would  seem,)  will 
in  a  great  degree  cease  on  the  earth,  but  not  entirely. 
The  terrestrial  state  of  this  new  dispensation  will  be  dif- 
ferent from  its  celestial  state.  In  the  present  dispensa- 
tion^ both  the  aerial  regions  and  the  solid  earth  are  un- 
der the  curse,  Satan  occupying  the  one,  as  the  prince  of 
the  power  of  the  air.  which  is  the  region  of  storms  and 
pestilence,  and  of  heaven's  fearful  artillery — the  electric 
dart,  and  men  occupying  the  other,  on  which  still  rests 
the  curse  of  barrenness,  and  other  tokens  of  God's  wrath 
for  sin,  which  make  it  a  land  of  sickness,  suffering  and 
death  to  all  its  inhabitants.  Then  Satan  being  cast  out 
of  both  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  the  former  shall  be 
occupied  by  the  risen  saints,  and  the  latter  by  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  general  conflagration  and  their  posterity, 
not  yet  perfected,  and  therefore  not  entirely  delivered 
from  the  effects  of  the  fall. 

As  we  have  in  this  discourse  considered  more  particu- 
larly the  conditions  and  employments  of  those  occupy- 
ing the  new  heavens,  i.  e.}  the  risen  saints,  so  we  propose 
in  our  next  discourse  to  show  you  what  Scripture  teaches 
of  the  condition  and  employment  of  those  occupying  the 
new  earth,  i.  e.,  men  still  in  the  flesh  ;  and  to  point  out 


*  AND   REIGN   OF   THE   SAINTS.  245 

the  advantages  they  will  enjoy  over  us  in  this  dispensa- 
tion, and  show  from  what  evils  now  oppressing  us  they 
will  be  delivered. 

In  conclusion,  may  we  not  congratulate  all  those  who 
are  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  upon  the  glorious 
prospect  which  awaits  them  at  His  second  coming  ? 
"  They  shall  be  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  Christ, 
and  shall  live  and  reign  with  Him  a  thousand  years." 
What  more  could  the  Saviour  do  for  them  than  to  give 
them  a  full  share  of  the  glory  which  He  Himself  had  ob- 
tained? This  was  His  promise,  Kevelations,  iii.  21,  "  To 
him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  on  my 
throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame  and  am  set  with  my  Father 
on  His  throne  ;"  and  here  is  its  fulfillment.  To  those  who 
love  to  be  engaged  in  the  Redeemer's  service  here,  but  often 
know  not  what  to  do,  how  delightful  is  the  prospect,  that 
then  they  shall  have  an  honorable  post  of  duty,  and  a 
sphere  of  usefulness  which  they  can  fill  with  credit  to 
their  Master,  benefit  to  their  race,  and  happiness  to 
themselves.  But  to  have  a  title  to  these  blessings,  we 
must  be  truly  Christians  ;  not  in  name  only,  or  in  out- 
ward profession,  but  in  heart,  and  soul,  and  actual  spir- 
itual union.  We  must  be  "in  Christ."  It  will  not  an- 
swer for  us  to  call  Him  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things 
He  says.  To  such  He  will  say,  "  I  never  knew  you.  De- 
part from  me,  ye  workers  of  iniquity."  Those  who  will  not 
have  Him  to  reign  in  them  and  over  them  NOW  will  not 
be  called  to  reign  with  Him  then.  Belonging  to  "  the 
rest  of  the  dead  which  lived  not  again  till  the  thousand 
years  are  finished,"  they  shall  have  no  part  in  the  first 
resurrection,  nor  any  interest  in  the  promise,  "  On  such 


246  THE  FIRST   RESURRECTION,  ETC.  * 

the  second  death  hath  no  power."  On  what  ground 
could  they  claim  the  inheritance  of  the  saints,  or  reason- 
ably expect  a  place  of  honor  or  of  government  in  His 
kingdom?  Could  they  be  priests,  to  teach  others  obe- 
dience to  their  Lord,  who  had  never  learned  obedience 
to  Him  themselves  ?  The  CHUKCH  OF  CHRIST 
is  the  school  of  preparation  for  the  KINGDOM  OF 
CHRIST.  HERE  we  must  learn  to  obey,  that  THERE 
we  may  be  qualified  to  govern  ;  and  those  who  never 
take  up  the  cross  here  can  never  put  on  the  crown  there. 
Can  any  expect  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  Christ  without 
His  permission  ?  Vain  hope  !  He  will  call  none  into 
His  service  hereafter  who  have  refused  to  enter  it  here, 
and  to  perform  all  the  duties  it  prescribed  and  enjoined. 
"  The  faithful  unto  death  shall  have  the  crown  of  life," 
and  THEY  only  shall  have  part  in  the  FIRST  resurrec- 
tion, and,  as  KINGS  and  PRIESTS  of  God  and  of  Christ, 
serve  Him  day  and  night  in  His  temple,  and  live  and 
reign  with  Him  a  thousand  years. 


LECTURE    XII. 

THE  ADVANTAGES  AND  BLESSINGS  OP  THE  INHABITANTS 
OF  THE  NEW  EARTH. 

"For  behold  I  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  and  the  former 
shall  not  be  remembered,  nor  come  into  mind.  But  be  ye  glad,  and  rejoice 
in  that  which  I  create ;  for  behold  I  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing,  and  her 
people  a  joy ;  and  I  will  rejoice  in  Jerusalem,  and  joy  hi  my  people :  and 
the  voice  of  weeping  shall  be  no  more  heard  in  her,  nor  the  voice  of  crying. 
There  shall  be  no  more  thence  an  infant  of  days,  nor  an  old  man  that  hath 
not  filled  his  days:  for  the  child  shall  die  a- hundred  years  old:  but  the 
sinner  being  a  hundred  years  old,  he  shall  be  accursed ;  and  they  shall 
build  houses  and  inhabit  them;  and  they  shall  plant  vineyards,  and  eat 
the  fruit  of  them.  They  shall  not  build,  and  another  inhabit ;  they  shall  not 
plant,  and  another  eat ;  for  as  the  days  of  a  tree  are  the  days  of  my  people, 
and  mine  elect  shall  long  enjoy  the  work  of  their  hands ;  they  shall  not  la- 
bor in  vain,  nor  bring  forth  for  trouble,  for  they  are  the  seed  of  the  blessed  of 
the  Lord,  and  their  offspring  with  them.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  be- 
fore they  call,  I  will  answer;  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear. 
The  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together,  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw 
like  the  bullock ;  and  dust  shall  be  the  serpent's  meat.  They  shall  not 
hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain,  saith  the  Lord." — ISAIAH, 
Ixv.  17-25. 

THE  change  produced  upon  the  face  of  nature  by  the 
fall  of  the  autumn  leaves,  and  the  cold  chill  of  the  win- 
ter's frost  can  scarcely  be  greater  than  the  blight  which 
passed  over  the  beautiful  earth,  when  for  Adam's  sin 
God  said  to  him,  "  Cursed  be  the  ground  for  thy  sake." 
Earth  felt  the  wound,  and  her  loveliness  paled  before  the 
withering  curse  So  again  the  change  from  dreary  win- 


248  ADVANTAGES   AND   BLESSINGS   OF   THE 

ter,  which  is  produced  upon  the  face  of  nature  by  the 
buds  and  blossoms  of  returning  spring,  and  the  genial  in- 
fluence of  sunshine  and  showers,  can  scarcely  be  greater 
than  that  which  will  be  effected  when  that  curse  under 
which  the  earth  has  so  long  groaned,  shall  be  removed, 
and  nature  shall  again  shine  forth  in  all  her  pristine 
beauty.  The  transitions  from  the  blessing  to  the  curse, 
and  again  from  the  curse  to  the  blessing,  comprise  the 
two  extremes  of  the  world's  history.  They  are  the  Alpha 
and  Omega  of  the  earth's  career,  beginning  with  "  PAR- 
ADISE LOST"  and  ending  with  "  PARADISE  REGAINED." 
We  have  in  our  former  lectures  contemplated,  to  a 
certain  extent,  that  glorious  future  which  Prophecy  de- 
clares yet  to  await  our  fallen  world.  We  have  medi- 
tated upon  the  words  of  Saint  Peter  :  "  Nevertheless  we, 
according  to  His  promise,  look  for  new  heavens,  and  a 
new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness,"  and  saw  that 
a  dispensation  of  grace,  far  exceeding  any  that  has  ever 
existed  in  our  fallen  world,  is  to  succeed  the  present, 
which  is  called  the  Christian  dispensation.  We  have 
also  meditated  upon  the  words  of  Saint  John  concerning 
the  "  first  resurrection  and  reign  of  the  saints  with  Christ 
for  a  thousand  years,"  and  have  seen  who  are  to  be  the 
occupants  of  the  new  heavens  in  that  future  glorious  dis- 
pensation, and  what  are  their  powers  and  privileges.  We 
now  invite  you  to  meditate  with  us  on  the  words  of  the 
Prophet  Isaiah,  and  see  what  is  the  state  and  condition 
of  those  who  shall  then  occupy  the  NEW  EARTH  ; 
what  advantages  men  still  in  the  flesh ,  shall  then  enjoy 
superior  to  those  we  now  enjoy,  or  those  which  have  been 
enjoyed  in  any  past  dispensation.  And  as  a  heavens  and 


INHABITANTS   OF   THE   NEW   EARTH.  249 

an  earth  make  up  a  world,  this  view  of  the  future  terres- 
trial state  and  its  inhabitants,  as  well  as  of  the  celestial 
and  its  occupants,  is  necessary  to  a  full  comprehension  of 
the  whole  subject — THE  NEW  HEAVENS  AND  NEW  EARTH, 
and  of  all  who  dwell  therein. 

The  language  of  Saint  Peter,  2  Epistle,  iii.  13,  re- 
ferred to  a  promise  then  existing.  He  says,  "  Neverthe- 
less we,  according  to  His  promise,  look  for  new  heavens 
and  a  new  earth."  That  promise  is  contained  in  our 
text,  in  which  the  Prophet  Isaiah  says,  "  For  behold  I 
create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  and  the  former  shall 
not  be  remembered,  nor  come  into  mind."  While  Saint 
John's  vision,  Revelations,  xx.  4-6,  showed  us,  viz.,  the 
kings  and  priests  of  that  dispensation,  the  Prophet 
Isaiah  shows  the  subjects  and  people  over  whom  they 
rule,  and  the  happiness  they  enjoy,  and  the  favored  con- 
dition of  the  earth  and  all  its  inhabitants,  down  even  to 
the  brute  creation,  under  the  rule  of  Christ  and  His  saints. 

We  will  now  enter  upon  the  examination  of  that  state 
of  the  earth,  and  of  society  upon  it,  as  it  is  presented  in 
the  words  of  our  text.  A  contrast  is  here  made  :  "  Behold 
I  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  and  the  former 
shall  not  be  remembered,  nor  come  into  mind/'  i.  e.}  the 
difference  between  that  state  of  society  and  the  present 
and  all  the  past  shall  be  so  great  as  that  none  shall  look 
back  then  as  is  now  frequently  done,  and  sigh  after  the 
days  that  are  past,  the  good  old  times  that  are  gone,  and 
lament  the  evil  days  that  are  to  come,  and  wish  that  they 
had  lived  in  former  ages  ;  no,  in  the  glory  and  blessed- 
ness of  that  age  then  present,  all  shall  be  so  satisfied  and 
delighted  that  no  wistful  look  toward  the  past  nor  vain 

11* 


250  ADVANTAGES   AND   BLESSINGS   OF   THE 

regrets  that  it  is  gone  shall  for  one  moment  be  indulged  ; 
"  the  former  shall  not  be  remembered,  nor  come  into 
mind."  The  prophet  then  begins  to  specify  the  things 
which  shall  be  the  occasion  of  special  joy  and  gratitude 
in  that  day,  and  says,  "be  ye  glad,  and  rejoice  for  ever  in 
that  which  I  create."  Who  does  he  here  address  ?  Be 
YE  glad,  and  rejoice.  Who?  We  answer,  the  JEWISH 
PEOPLE,  as  is  evident  from  what  follows,  "  for  behold 
I  create  JERUSALEM  a  rejoicing,  and  HER  people  a  joy  ;" 
and  why  does  he  address  THEM  so  particularly  ?  Be- 
cause the  change  will  be  so  much  more  extraordinary  to 
THEM  than  to  any  other  people.  Ever  since  the  captivity 
in  Babylon,  nearly  twenty-five  hundred  years  ago,  that 
people  have  felt  the  rod  of  some  oppressor,  and  groaned 
under  the  calamities  of  either  war,  captivity,  oppression, 
or  exile. 

The  Christian  dispensation,  sad  to  say,  and  humiliat- 
ing to  confess,  has  been  to  them  one  of  exceeding  cruel- 
ty. For  centuries  they  have  had  to  suffer  reproach,  con- 
tempt, and  wrong,  in  lands  called  Christian.  Driven 
from  country  to  country  by  cruel  persecution,  their  own 
land  in  possession  of  enemies,  and  their  beloved  city 
trodden  under  foot  of  the  G-entiles,  they  have  had  no  rest 
nor  abiding  place  except  during  the  last  century,  when 
in  this,  and  a  few  of  the  countries  of  Europe,  toleration 
has  been  granted,  and  exemption  in  some  degree  from 
civil  disabilities.  But  in  mst  parts  of  the  world  they 
still  endure  the  ignominy,  and  often  have  to  submit  to  the 
rapacity,  of  the  people  among  whom  they  dwell.  And 
that  city  of  their  affections,  to  which  their  thoughts  and 
prayers  are  constantly  directed  ;  and  that  sacred  spot  on 


INHABITANTS   OF   THE  NEW   EARTH.  251 

which  the  temple  stood,  they  see  polluted  with  fake 
shrines  ;  and  their  brethren  who  still  linger  among  the 
sacred  remains  of  their  former  glory,  reduced  to  the  low- 
est form  of  penury.  Now  to  them  the  prophet  says,  "  Be 
YE  glad,  and  rejoice  for  ever  in  that  which  I  create  ;  for 
behold  I  create  JERUSALEM  a  rejoicing,  and  HER  PEOPLE 
a  joy."  This  change  shall  be  one,  therefore,  which  to  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  above  all  people  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  shall  be  attended  with  happiness  and  joy  ;  for 
Jerusalem,  from  being  a  ruin  of  former  ages,  shall  be  the 
joy  of  the  whole  earth,  and  the  Jews,  from  being  a 
proverb,  and  byword,  and  hissing,  as  Moses  declared, 
shall  be  a  praise,  and  an  honor,  (as  Jeremiah  predicts, 
xxxiii.  9  :)  "  before  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  which 
shall  hear  of  all  the  good  which  the  Lord  shall  do  unto 
them."  The  occasion  does  not  permit  us  to  enter  into 
this  part  of  the  subject  fully,  and  adduce  all  the  evidence 
from  Scripture,  which  shows  to  what  a  degree  of  magnifi- 
cence JERUSALEM  REBUILT  will  attain,  or  how  great  shall 
be  the  respect  and  esteem  with  which  all  the  children  of 
Israel  shall  be  treated  by  the  nations  of  the  earth.  One 
passage  alone  must  suffice  to  speak  for  all  the  rest.  The 
Prophet  Zechariah,  viii.  13,  says,  "  It  shall  come  to  pass 
that  as  ye  were  a  curse  among  the  heathen,  0  house  of 
Judah,  and  house  of  Israel,  so  will  I  save  you,  and  ye 
shall  be  a  blessing.  For  as  I  thought  to  punish  you, 
when  your  fathers  provoked  me  to  wrath,  and  I  repented 
not,  so  again  have  I  thought  to  do  well  to  Jerusalem 
and  to  the  house  of  Judah  j  for  thus  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  in  those  days  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  ten  men 
out  of  all  languages  of  the  nations  shall  take  hold  of  the 


252  ADVANTAGES  AND   BLESSINGS   OF   THE 

skirt  of  a  Jew,  and  say,  we  will  go  with  you,  for  we  have 
heard  that  GOD  is  WITH  you  ;  and  all  nations  shall  call 
you  blessed,  for  ye  shall  be  a  DELIGHTSOME  LAND,  SAITH 
THE  LORD  OF  HOSTS."  "  Therefore/'  says  the  prophet,  in 
the  text,  to  them,  "be  ye  glad,  and  rejoice  for  ever  in 
that  which  I  create  ;  for  behold  I  create  JERUSA- 
LEM  a  rejoicing,  and  HER  PEOPLE  a  joy."  That  city  in. 
which  they  have  lamented  and  wailed  for  so  many  centu- 
ries by  the  sepulchres  of  their  fathers,  and  the  ruins  of  their 
temple,  shall  be  to  them  joy  and  gladness,  when  rebuilt 
and  reinhabited  by  them,  and  shall  become  the  THRONE 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  METROPOLIS  of  the  world. 

The  prophet  still  proceeds,  "  And  I  will  rejoice  in  Je- 
rusalem, and  joy  in  my  people,  and  the  voice  of  weeping 
shall  no  more  be  heard  in  her,  nor  the  voice  of  crying." 
The  fountains  of  sorrow,  which  are  rilled  from  so  many 
different  sources,  shall  all  be  dried  up.  Probably  the 
most  sorrowful  city  in  the  world,  for  centuries  past,  has 
been  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  The  lamentations  of  Jere- 
miah apply  as  strictly  to  her  at  the  present  day  as  they 
have  ever  done  :  "  How  doth  the  city  sit  solitary,  that 
was  full  of  people  ?  How  is  she  become  a  widow,  that 
was  great  among  the  nations  ?  She  weepeth  sore  in  the 
night,  and  her  tears  are  on  her  cheeks  !"  All  travelers 
testify  to  the  dreary  and  gloomy  aspect  which  every  thing 
wears  in  the  holy  city.  A  penitential  cry,  and  a  doleful 
lamentation  arise  on  the  eve  of  every  Sabbath  day  from 
the  down-trodden  Israelites,  who  assemble  in  groups  un- 
der the  walls  of  the  city  which  enclose  the  Mosque  of 
Omar,  the  site  of  the  temple,  and  utter  the  plaintive  cry, 
"Ail  bene,  Ail  bene;  bene  bethka  bekarob,  bimheira,  bim- 


INHABITANTS   OF   THE   NEW   EARTH.  253 

heira  ;  beyamenu  bekarob  ;"  the  meaning  of  which  is, 
"  Lord  build,  Lord  build  ;  build  thy  house  speedily,  in 
haste,  in  haste  ;  even  in  our  days  build  thy  house  speed- 
ily." Then  the  voice  of  this  cry  shall  no  more  be  heard 
in  her,  nor  the  voice  of  weeping,  but  the  voice  of  rejoic- 
ing and  praise  ;  and  according  to  the  Prophet  Isaiah, 
xxvi.  1,  "  In  that  day  shall  this  song  be  sung  in  the  land 
of  Judah  :  We  have  a  strong  city  ;  salvation  will  God 
appoint  for  walls  and  for  bulwarks.  Open  ye  the  gates, 
that  the  righteous  nation  which  keepeth  truth  may  en- 
ter in." 

In  every  city  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  perhaps,  the 
greater  portion  of  weeping  and  crying  proceeds  from 
children.  The  various  diseases  of  infancy,  the  aches  and 
pains,  and  numberless  anxieties,  and  hopes,  and  fears 
they  experience,  all  find  vent  through  streaming  eyes  and 
audible  sobs  ;  and  then  (as  our  bills  of  mortality  show, 
that  a  large  portion  of  the  human  family  die  in  infancy,) 
these  little  sufferers  unconsciously  draw  many  a  tear  and 
sigh  from  the  aching  hearts  of  their  bereaved  parents, 
whose  hopes  are  blasted  by  their  untimely  removal.  Now 
the  prophet  in  describing  the  condition  of  society  in  the 
new  earth  says,  "  There  shall  be  no  more  thence  an  in- 
fant of  days,  nor  an  old  man  that  hath  not  filled  his 
days  ;  for  the  child  shall  die  a  hundred  years  old,  but 
the  sinner,  being  a  hundred  years  old,  shall  be  accursed." 
By  this  is  meant  that  the  period  of  infancy  at  that  time 
shall  not  be  reckoned  by  days  and  months,  but  by  many 
years.  When  children  now  obtain  a  few  years  of  life,  we 
call  them  no  longer  infants,  but  boys  and  girls,  or  youths  ; 
then,  at  a  hundred  years  they  shall  still  be  called  infants. 


254  ADVANTAGES   AND   BLESSINGS  OF   THE 

If  we  divide  human  life  into  nine  periods,  and  call  the 
first  nine  infancy,  the  second  nine  childhood,  the  third 
nine  boyhood,  the  fourth  nine  youth,  the  fifth  nine  man- 
hood, the  sixth  nine  middle  life,  the  seventh  nine  full 
maturity,  the  eighth  nine  declining  years,  and  the  ninth 
nine,  or  eighty-one  years,  old  age,  then  the  sands  of  life 
are  nearly  run  out,  and  the  grave  is  waiting  to  receive  us. 
According  to  this  apportionment  of  the  periods  of  life, 
Methuselah,  •  who  lived  nine  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
years,  would,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred,  have  been  only 
an  infant,  at  two  hundred  a  child,  at  three  hundred  a 
boy,  at  four  hundred  a  youth,  at  five  hundred  a  man,  at 
six  hundred  in  middle  life,  at  seven  hundred  full  maturity, 
at  eight  hundred  decline  of  life,  at  nine  hundred  an  old 
man,  (and  he  at  that  age  still  lived  sixty-nine  years  longer, 
which  is  within  one  year  of  the  age  of  an  old  man  in  this 
period  of  the  world.)  We  therefore  conclude  that  if  at 
the  period  the  prophet  refers  to,  one  dying  at  a  hundred 
years  shall  die  an  infant,  it  must  be  because  the  longev- 
ity of  the  antediluvians  is  restored,  and  men  live  again 
nearly,  or  quite  a  thousand  years.  Infancy  shall  not  be 
reckoned  by  one,  or  two,  or  three  hundred  days,  but  by 
a  hundred  years,  because  old  age  is  then  nine  hundred 
years  or  more. 

"  There  shall  be  no  more  thence  an  infant  of  days,  nor," 
continues  the  prophet,  "  an  old  man  that  hath  not  filled 
his  days  ;"  now,  in  consequence  of  sickness,  disease,  ex- 
posure, hardships,  or  dissipation,  and  other  causes,  many 
become  broken  in  health  and  constitution  in  early  life,  and 
are  old  men  before  they  have  filled  their  days,  i.  e.,  before 
they  reach  middle  life.  Then  the  child  shall  die  an  hun- 


INHABITANTS   OF   THE   NEW   EARTH.  255 

dred  years  old,  but  the  sinner,  being  an  hundred  years 
old,  shall  be  accursed.  This  settles  the  question  whether 
there  will  be  any  death  in  the  new  earth.  There  will  be, 
but  it  would  seem  only  of  transgressors,  for  while  the  in- 
fant dies  a  hundred  years  old,  it  would  seem  that  its 
death  occurs  because  at  that  period  it  discovers  a  sinful 
propensity,  and  begins  to  indulge  in  wickedness.  Now, 
infants  who  manifest  early  depravity,  are  permitted  to 
live  and  to  grow  up  and  pass  through  all  the  stages  of 
life,  corrupting  others  by  their  examples;  THEN  that  great 
evil  to  society,  bad  example,  will  be  rooted  out  at  once, 
and  evil  doers,  although  infants,  will  be  immediately  cut 
oft'  by  death.  Neither  will  there  be  any  premature  old 
age,  because  those  things  which  produce  it,  dissipation, 
exposure  and  disease,  will  then  be  unknown.  The  air 
of  the  new  heavens  being  rilled  with  salubrity,  and  the 
productions  of  the  new  earth  being  all  nutritious,  and 
the  habits  of  mankind  pure  and  virtuous,  every  thing 
will  contribute  to  health  and  long  life.  So  much  con- 
cerning the  sanitary  condition  of  that  period. 

The  prophet  then  passes  on  to  the  different  arrange- 
ments which  men  will  make  for  their  domestic  comfort. 
They  shall  build  houses  and  inhabit  them,  they  shall  plant 
vineyards  and  eat  the  fruit  of  them;  they  shall  not  build 
and  another  inhabit,  they  shall  not  plant,  and  another 
eat — a  thing  which  is  often  done  in  our  day,  and  has  been 
repeated  in  every  age.  A  man  will  build  a  house,  and 
before  it  is  finished  be  cut  off  by  death  and  never  occupy 
it  ;  or  plant  a  vineyard,  and  before  it  has  borne  any  fruit 
give  up  the  ghost,  and  another  take  possession  and  eat 
of  its  fruits.  These  disappointments  are  incident  to  the 


256  ADVANTAGES  AND   BLESSINGS   OF   THE 

frailties  of  human  life  in  our  present  state,  when  we  know 
not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth  ;  but  far  otherwise  shall 
it  be  then ;  for  the  builder  of  a  house  shall  occupy  it,  and 
the  planter  of  a  vineyard  shall  eat  of  its  fruit;  and  the 
reason  is  given  :  "  for  as  the  days  of  a  tree  shall  be  the 
days  of  my  people,  and  mine  elect  shall  long  enjoy  the 
work  of  their  hands."  It  is  well  known  that  some  trees 
live  and  flourish  for  centuries.  The  cedars  of  Lebanon 
are  famous  for  their  powers  of  resistance  to  all  the  ele- 
ments of  decay,  and  stand  as  monuments  of  ancient 
times.  The  tree  near  the  town  of  Somma  in  Lombardy, 
which  tradition  says  existed  in  the  days  of  Julius  Csesar, 
is  known  by  most  undoubted  evidence  to  be  more  than 
a  thousand  years  old  ;  and  recently  those  giants  of  the 
forest  which  have  been  discovered  on  our  Pacific  coast, 
and  specimens  of  which  have  been  exhibited  among  us, 
are,  from  their  concentric  circles,  pronounced  by  some 
naturalists  to  be  near  three  thousand  years  old.  So 
that  the  comparison  in  our  text,  "as  the  days  of  a  tree 
shall  be  the  days  of  my  people,  and  mine  elect  shall  long 
enjoy  the  work  of  their  hands,"  can  only  be  understood 
of  the  longevity  of  mankind  in  the  new  earth,  and  is 
of  no  point  or  force  in  any  other  point  of  view.  Methu- 
salehs,  and  Jareds,  and  Lamechs,  all  of  whom,  in  the 
Adamic  dispensation,  lived  more  than  nine  hundred  years, 
will  in  the  new  earth  be  as  plentiful  as  they  are  scarce 
now  ;  men  shall  "long  enjoy  the  work  of  their  hands, 
inhabit  the  houses  they  builded,  and  eat  of  the  fruit  of 
the  vineyards  they  planted."  No  more  will  worshiping 
assemblies  then  be  called  to  utter,  in  their  songs  to  God, 
the  humiliating  sentiment, 


INHABITANTS   OF  THE   NEW  EARTH.  257 

"  Our  term  of  time  is  seventy  years, 

An  age  that  few  survive ; 
But  if  with  more  than  common  strength, 
To  eighty  we  arrive, 

"  Yet  then  our  boasted  strength  decays, 

To-morrow,  turned  to  pain  ; 
So  soon  the  slender  thread  is  cut, 
And  we  no  more  remain." 

"  THEN  as  the  days  of  a  TREE  shall  be  the  days  of  my 
people."* 

Years  old. 

*  One  of  the  most  celebrated  trees  in  the  world  is  the  great 
chestnut  tree  of  mount  JEtna,  named  the  chestnut  tree  of  a  hundred 
horses.  Tradition  says  that  Jane,  Queen  of  Arragon,  visiting  mount 
^Etna,  found  shelter  in  it  from  a  storm,  with  her  retinue  of  a 
hundred  persons  on  horseback.  It  is  hollow  above  ground,  and 
solid  below.  A  public  road  leads  through  it  wide  enough  for  two 
coaches  to  drive  abreast.  In  it  also  is  a  hut  built.  Its  circumference 
is  one  hundred  and  sixty  three  feet.  Said  to  be  the  oldest  of  trees ; 
supposed  to  be  some  thousands  of  years  old. 

Adamson  examined  a  Baobab  tree  in  Senegal,  and  inferred  that 
it  had  attained  the  age  of  five  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  by  the  concentric  rings, 5,150 

The  celebrated  Taxodium  of  Chapultopec,  Mexico,  says  De  Can- 
dolles,  is  supposed  to  be  even  more  aged  ;  its  circumference  is  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  feet. 

The  oldest  tree  in  England  is  supposed  to  be  the  Parliament 
oak  in  Clipstone  park,  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Portland.  Edward 
the  First  held  a  parliament  under  its  branches.  It  was  a  park  be- 
fore the  Conquest.  The  tree  is  about 1500 

The  same  nobleman  had  an  oak  higher  than  "Westminster  Ab- 
bey, called  the  Duke's  walking  stick. 

The  Casthrop  oak,  Yorkshire,  measures  seventy-eight  feet  in  cir- 
cumference. "  Three  shire  oak,"  at  Workshop,  covers  part  of  three 
shires,  York,  Nottingham,  and  Derby.  It  dropped  over  seven  hun- 
dred and  sixty-seven  square  yards. 

The  Wallace  oak,  at  Ellerslie,  Scotland,  is        ....  700 

Yew  trees  at  Fountain  Abbey,  England,  are         .         .        .  1200 

Olives  in  the  Garden  of  Olives,  Jerusalem,        ....  800 

Banians  in  Hindostan,  are    : 3000 


258  ADVANTAGES  AND  BLESSINGS  OF   THE 

The  causes  promoting  this  longevity  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  new  earth  will  undoubtedly  be  the  salubrity  of 
the  climate  and  the  equal  temperature  which  will  then 
prevail,  together  with  the  freedom  from  all  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold,  or  sudden  changes  of  temperature.  Into 
this  question,  however,  we  will  not  enter  any  further  at 
the  present  time,  but  proceed  to  the  next  particular. 
"  They  shall  not  labor  in  vain  nor  bring  forth  for  trouble, 
for  they  are  the  seed  of  the  blessed  of  the  Lord,  and  their 
offspring  with  them."  How  many  of  the  sorrows  of  life 
proceed  from  disappointed  hopes,  arising  from  the  failure 
of  those  plans  of  life  or  schemes  of  happiness  in  which 
we  embarked,  and  expected  success  ?  One  enterprise  after 
another  fails,  and  our  fond  expectations  are  blasted,  we 
mourn  over  the  destruction  of  our  cherished  desires,  and 
feel  that  there  is  nothing  abiding  under  the  sun  ;  that 
all  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.  While  this  is  true 
in  the  thousand  instances  of  the  various  business  opera- 
tions of  life,  it  is  especially  true  in  the  domestic  relations 
of  mankind.  How  much  unhappiness  arises  from  the  un- 
filial  conduct  of  children  (whom  fond  parents  have  in- 
dulged to  a  fault,)  from  their  waste  of  that  substance 
which  they  toiled  long  and  anxiously  to  lay  up  for  them, 
from  their  habits  of  dissipation,  and  their  violation  of 
those  moral  precepts  and  virtuous  principles  which  they 
inculcated,  need  not  be  mentioned.  Many  a  gray  hair 
has  been  brought  down  with  sorrow  to  the  grave,  and 
many  a  parent  has  expressed  their  regret  that  they  ever 
had  any  children  at  all. 

It  is  a  sad  fact,  which  every  day's  experience  bears 
witness  to,  that,  especially  in  the  distribution  of  prop- 


INHABITANTS   OF   THE   NEW   EARTH.  259 

erty,  in  the  division  of  estates,  and  in  the  giving  of  por- 
tions to  children,  dissatisfaction,  and  jealousies,  and 
heart-burnings  arise,  which  often  make  a  parent  wish  that 
the  whole  property  was  buried  in  the  sea.  Many  an 
honest,  prudent,  industrious  father,  who  has  labored  for 
the  prosperity  of  his  children,  and  their  comfort  in  life, 
even  at  the  sacrifice  of  his  own,  has  had  to  exclaim  he 
has  labored  in  vain  ;  he  has  only  produced  unhappiness 
all  around,  instead  of  gratitude  and  joy.  Now  the 
prophet  says,  in  that  blessed  state  of  the  world  they  shall 
not  labor  in  vain,  or  see  with  sorrow  that  all  their  efforts 
to  make  their  children  happy  were  fruitless.  Happiness 
and  contentment  will  reign  all  around.  "  Neither  shall 
they  then/'  he  adds,  " bring  forth  for  trouble"  This 
refers  to  another  matter. 

The  sorrows  of  the  maternal  parent  are  of  a  peculiar 
kind.  None  can  know  their  intensity  but  mothers  alone. 
The  whole  period  of  gestation  is  often  nothing  but  a 
period  of  protracted  anguish,  terminating  sometimes  in 
the  sad  scene  of  one  life  sacrificed  for  another.  Many  a 
child  has  been  a  ben-oni  to  its  mother,  whose  soul,  like 
Rachel's/  has  departed  at  its  birth.  The  doom  pro- 
nounced on  Eve,  still  rests,  with  unmitigated  severity, 
upon  all  her  daughters  ;  and  so  dreadful  is  this  curse  that 
we  have  a  standing  petition  in  our  litany  to  implore  its 
mitigation,  and  a  thanksgiving  service  to  be  performed 
when  the  mercy  sought  has  been  granted  ;  which  service, 
it  is  to  be  regretted,  through  false  delicacy,  perhaps,  is 
not  as  religiously  and  scrupulously  observed  as  it  should  be. 
The  anguish  of  parturition  is  used  by  our  Lord  as  the 
strongest  metaphor  that  can  be  selected  to  describe  ex- 


260  ADVANTAGES   AND   BLESSINGS    OF    THE 

treme  suffering.  But,  even  in  the  most  favorable  cases, 
what  anxieties  and  cares  still  follow  the  period  of  birth. 
There  are  all  the  watehings,  and  attentions,  and  fears, 
and  hopes  of  the  period  of  infancy  ;  the  sufferings  of  the 
little  ones,  felt  often  more  deeply  by  the  mother  than  by 
themselves ;  and  at  last,  when  the  dangers  of  infancy  are 
passed,  and  boyhood  or  girlhood  has  commenced,  and  the 
fond  mother  begins  to  look  with  pride  upon  the  season 
of  budding  youth,  the  frost  of  death  comes  and  nips  the 
flower  before  it  is  blown,  and  the  fond  parent,  over- 
whelmed with  grief,  is  forced  to  exclaim,  "  /  have 
brought  forth  for  trouble."  At  the  birth  of  Cain,  Eve 
exclaimed  with  joy,  "I  have  gotten  a  man  from  the 
Lord  ;"  but  that  man  proved  to  be  a  murderer,  and  she 
was  forced  to  feel  that  the  pride  of  her  heart  was  a  curse 
of  his  kind,  a  vagabond  upon  the  earth.  Now,  in  that 
blessed  state  to  come,  while  fathers  will  not  labor  in 
vain,  mothers  will  not  bring  forth  for  trouble.  The  curse 
pronounced  upon  the  first  mother,  and  which  has  ever 
since  rested  on  her  daughters — "In  sorrow  shalt  thou 
bring  forth  children" — will  be  entirely  removed,  so  that 
there  will  be  no  more  ben-onis  among  the  infants  then 
born,  or  "  Kachels  weeping  for  their  children,  and  refusing 
to  be  comforted  because  they  are  not."  The  pains  and 
perils  against  which  we  offer  our  liturgical  cry  being  all 
removed,  happy  mothers  will  bring  forth  with  joy  ;  and 
the  description  of  the  Psalmist,  which  has  thus  far  been 
onLy  partially  and  occasionally,  will  then  be  fully  and 
constantly  realized  to  every  man  :  "  Happy  shalt  thou  be, 
and  it  shall  be  well  with  thee.  Thy  wife  shall  be  as  a 
fruitful  vine  by  the  sides  of  thy  house,  thy  children  like 


INHABITANTS   OF   THE   NEW   EARTH.  261 

olive  plants  round  about  thy  table.  Happy  is  the  man 
that  hath  his  quiver  full  of  them."  While  a  large  family 
is  now  often  considered  a  burden,  it  will  then  be  regarded 
a  blessing.  And  that  horrible  crime  of  infanticide,  which 
is  now  practiced  in  many  parts  of  the  earth,  to  prevent 
a  too  great  increase  of  population,  will  then  be  unknown  ; 
for  every  infant  will  be  welcomed  as  an  inhabitant  of  the 
new  earth. 

We  can  readily  imagine  how  great  will  be  the  increase 
of  mankind  in  a  dispensation  of  so  many  outward  bless- 
sings.  No  children  dying  in  infancy,  except  the  occa- 
sional instances  of  juvenile  depravity,  and  no  mothers 
dying  in  giving  them  birth,  and  parents  living  for  sev- 
eral hundred  years,  increasing,  and  multiplying  as  in  the 
Adamic  age,  the  population  of  the  new  earth,  or  millennial 
dispensation,  will  exceed  by  a  thousand  fold  that  which 
it  has  ever  attained  in  any  previous  age  of  the  world. 
The  highest  estimate  that  has  ever  been  made  of  the 
population  of  the  globe  is  a  thousand  millions.  In  the 
new  earth  it  is  not  improbable  that  it  may  attain  to  the 
enormous  amount  of  ten  hundred  thousand  millions  ;  for 
not  being  subject  to  the  large  discount  which  death 
makes  among  infants  and  adults  in  every  generation, 
the  increase  will  be  in  that  steadily-progressing  ratio 
which  doubles  itself  within  every  given  number  of 
years. 

The  reason  for  this  rapid  increase  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  new  earth  is  given  in  our  text.  "  They  shall  not 
labor  in  vain,  nor  bring  forth  for  trouble,  for  they  are 
the  seed  of  the  blessed  of  the  Lord,  and  their  offspring 
tvith  them."  God  blessed  both  Adam  and  Noah,  the  two 


262  ADVANTAGES   AND   BLESSINGS   OF   THE 

fathers  of  the  human  family,  and  said,  "  be  fruitful,  and 
multiply  and  replenish  the  earth,"  and  if,  under  all  the 
disadvantages  of  the  fall,  with  sickness  and  death  con- 
stantly preying  upon  the  human  race,  first  from  two,  and 
afterward  from  eight,  such  teeming  millions  have  sprung, 
and  overspread  the  earth,  what  may  not  he  expected  in 
that  age  when  all  the  agencies  of  evil  shall  be  suppressed, 
and  every  instrumentality  for  good  will  enjoy  a  special 
blessing  from  the  Lord  ?  Verily,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
new  earth  shall  be  as  the  "  sands  on  the  sea  shore  for 
multitude,"  and  as  the  stars  of  the  sky  innumerable. 

Having  given  this  description  of  the  social  condition 
or  domestic  state  of  society  in  the  new  earth,  the  Prophet 
next  speaks  of  their  religious  privileges  and  advantages, 
especially  the  favor  they  shall  enjoy  in  communion  with 
God.  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass/'  he  says,  "  that  before 
they  shall  call  I  will  answer,  and  while  they  are  yet  speak- 
ing I  will  hear."  Prayer  offered  up  shall  not  be  long 
unanswered,  or  perhaps  not  answered  at  all,  as  often  oc- 
curs in  these  days.  Even  Moses,  that  faithful  servant  of 
God,  could  not  obtain  the  favor  for  which  he  supplicated. 
Thrice  did  he  pray  earnestly,  "  I  beseech  thee  let  me  go 
over  Jordan,  and  see  that  goodly  land  and  Lebanon,"  but 
the  Lord  replied,  "Ask  me  no  more  concerning  that  mat- 
ter." The  favor  was  not  granted.  And  St.  Paul  thrice 
besought  the  Lord  concerning  that  "thorn  in  the  flesh," 
that  "messenger  of  Satan,"  sent  to  buffet  him,  that  it 
might  be  taken  away,  but  received  for  a  reply,  "My  grace 
is  sufficient  for  thee."  The  favor  was  not  granted.  And 
others,  though  not  refused,  have  had  to  pray  long  and 
wait  long  before  the  blessing  sought  was  obtained.  But 


INHABITANTS   OF   THE   NEW   EAKTH.  268 

now  the  promise  is,  "  It  shall  come  to  pass  that  while 
they  are  yet  speaking  I  will  hear,  and  before  they  call  I 
will  answer."  God  will,  as  it  were,  anticipate  their  desires, 
and  grant  them,  even  while  asking  for  them.  We  learn 
from  this  that  prayer  at  that  time  will  still  be  a  duty. 
The  law  of  the  present  dispensation  will  be  also  the  law 
of  that  dispensation.  "  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive,  seek, 
and  ye  shall  find,  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you;" 
only  the  blessing  will  then  be  brought  nearer  to  the  sup- 
plicant than  it  is  now.  Perhaps  faith  will  be  stronger  to 
lay  hold  of  it  than  it  is  at  present,  and  all  the  graces  be 
in  greater  readiness  to  receive.  How  delightful  only  to 
open  our  mouths  to  have  them  filled  !  to  stretch  forth 
our  desires  unto  God,  and  to  have  them  immediately 
gratified  !  Yet  such  shall  be  the  happy  privilege  of  the 
worshipers  of  that  dispensation. 

The  Prophet  next  passes  on  to  show  the  state  of  the 
inferior  creation,  and  how  the  blessed  change  which  has 
taken  place  in  the  earth  affects  the  animal  tribes,  and 
says,  "  the  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together,  and  the 
lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox,  and  dust  shall  be  the 
serpent's  meat.  They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all 
my  holy  mountain,  saith  the  Lord/'  The  savage  natures 
of  the  beasts  of  prey  have  always  spread  terror  among 
the  domestic  animals,  who  flee  at  their  approach.  The 
lamb  dreads  the  wolf,  and  the  wolf  covets  the  lamb  for  a 
dainty  meal ;  but  now  this  fear  and  savage  desire  shall  be 
extinguished  in  both  breasts  ;  for  the  wolf  and  the  lamb 
shall  feed  together  in  harmony  and  peace.  And  the  lion, 
who  spread  his  terror  over  all  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and 
put  his  fear  also  upon  man,  because  of  his  power  to  tear 


264  ADVANTAGES   AND   BLESSINGS   OF    THE 

and  destroy,  shall  lose  his  ferocious  spirit,  and  change 
the  quality  of  his  food;  from  being  a  carnivorous  he  shall 
become  a  graminivorous  animal,  and  "  eat  straw  like  the 
ox."  Perhaps,  also,  like  the  ox,  he  shall  become  a  beast 
of  burden,  and  be  used  by  man  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
new  earth.  The  serpent,  also,  that  venomous  reptile 
which  lurks  in  our  pathways,  and  in  our  unguarded 
moments  inflicts  the  fatal  sting,  shall  be  rendered  power- 
less to  injure  any  more,  and  then,  not  relieved  from  the 
odium  which  has  ever  attached  to  that  animal,  he  shall 
still  bear  the  marks  of  his  degradation  in  the  food  ap- 
pointed for  him,  which  shall  not  be  animal,  as  now,  or 
vegetable,  nor  fruit,  nor  herbage,  but  DUST,  the  refuse  of 
all  things.  The  entire  harmlessness  of  the  most  venom- 
ous serpents  at  that  time  is  thus  described  by  this  prophet 
in  chapter  xi.  8  :  "  The  sucking  child  shall  play  on  the 
hole  of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand 
on  the  cockatrice's  den,  they  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in 
all  my  holy  mountain,  for  the  earth  is  full  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 

Such  is  the  description  which  this  prophet  gives  of  the 
state  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  new  earth  in  their  moral 
and  social,  domestic  and  religious  conditions.  In  other 
parts  of  this,  and  some  others  of  the  prophets,  the  picture 
is  made  more  complete  by  an  enumeration  of  various  other 
advantages  which  will  then  be  enjoyed  ;  e.  g.,  the  extraor- 
dinary fertility  of  the  earth,  and  especially  Judea,  at  that 
time.  The  Prophet  Ezekiel  declares  that  it  shall  be  as  the 
garden  of  the  Lord  ;  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  that  the  wilder- 
ness and  the  solitary  place  shall  smile  with  verdure,  and 
the  desert  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  Even  the  great 


INHABITANTS  OF   THE   NEW  EARTH.  265 

Sahara,  with  its  three  thousand  miles  of  driving  sand, 
with  here  and  there  only  an  oasis,  shall  become  a  fruit- 
ful plain  ;  the  glory  of  Lebanon,  and  the  excellency  ot 
Carmel  and  Sharon  shall  be  given  to  it.  The  Prophet 
Amos  declares  that  in  those  days  the  plowman  shall  over- 
take the  reaper,  and  the  treader  of  grapes  him  that  soweth 
the  seed  ;  i.  e.,  vegetation  shall  be  so  rapid,  and  the  suc- 
cession of  crops  so  continual,  that  the  sower  and  reaper 
can  scarce  keep  out  of  each  other's  way  ;  and  he  adds, 
"  the  mountains  shall  drop  down  sweet  wine,  and  the 
valleys  be  covered  with  corn,  and  the  pastures  with 
flocks/'  Famine,  and  scarcity,  and  drought,  and  barren- 
ness shall  be  things  of  the  past,  only  to  be  known  when 
they  read  the  history  of  the  former  dispensations. 

We  might  continue  our  selections  from  the  prophets, 
to  complete  the  glorious  picture,  which  they  give  through- 
out their  pages,  of  millennial  felicity,  but  necessity  re- 
quires that  we  must  draw  our  remarks  to  a  close. 

In  our  last  two  discourses,  we  contemplated  the  new 
heavens,  and  the  new  earth  yet  to  come,  in  two  aspects. 

1.  In  general,  as  a  dispensation  of  grace,  in  which  the 
human  family  were  to  be  advanced  to  a  higher  state  of 
happiness  and  perfection  than   they  had  ever  yet  at- 
tained. 

2.  In  particular,  as  a  dispensation  embracing  two  class- 
es of  the  human  family  who  have  separate  and  distinct 
interests,  duties,  privileges  and  places  of  abode  ;  viz., 
first,  the  risen  saints  who  occupy  the  new  heavens,  and 
there  reign  with  Christ,  as  kings  and  priests,  over  the  new 
earth  ;  and  secondly,  the  men  in  the  flesh  who  still  remain 
on  the  solid  earth,  and  cultivate  it,  marry  and  multiply, 

12 


266  ADVANTAGES   AND   BLESSINGS   OF   THE 

and  pass  through  the  stages  of  infancy,  youth,  manhood 
and  old  age.  We  have  in  this  discourse  considered  the 
latter,  the  terrestrial  state  of  this  new  era,  and  this  gives 
us  an  entire  view  of  the  whole  dispensation,  and  shows 
us  the  whole  Church  gathered  together  in  one  under 
Christ,  its  head,  filling  the  whole  world,  the  heaven  and 
the  earth,  one  part  acting  as  rulers  over  the  others,  and 
possessing  the  proper  qualifications  to  act  as  KINGS  and 
PRIESTS  over  them.  In  all  previous  dispensations  the 
Church  has  been  divided  and  separated,  and  those  best 
qualified  to  rule  and  govern,  have  been  removed  from  her. 
This  is  her  state  now.  The  saints  who  have  overcome  the 
world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  having  fought  the  good 
fight,  and  finished  their  course  and  kept  the  faith,  are  now 
resting  in  Paradise,  waiting  for  the  "first  resurrection," 
and  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord.  They  can  not  assist 
us  now  with  their  counsels,  nor  direct  our  affairs  when  in 
difficulty,  or  danger,  or  doubt.  The  treasure  of  the  gos- 
pel is  still  in  earthen  vessels,  and  the  power  of  the  keys 
in  the  hands  of  fallible  mortals.  But  when,  in  the  NEW 

HEAVENS  AND  THE  NEW  EARTH,  the  Spirits  of  the  just  who 

have  been  made  perfect,  are  brought  forth  in  their  glorified 
bodies,  and,  occupying  the  new  heavens,  are  placed  over 
men  still  in  the  flesh,  inhabiting  the  new  earth,  then  the 
Church  will  be  UNITED  IN  ONE  BODY,  and  be  ONE,  with 
its  rulers  and  subjects,  its  priests  and  people,  and  all  to- 
gether bowing  the  knee  to  Him  of  whom  the  "  whole 
family  in  HEAVEN  AND  EARTH  is  named,"  the  risen  saints 
exclaiming,  "  Thou  hast  redeemed  us  to  God,  by  thy 
blood,  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and 
nation,  and  hast  made  us  unto  our  Grod  kings  and  priests, 


INHABITANTS   OF   THE   NEW   EARTH.  267 

and  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth,"  and  those  in  the  flesh 
saying,  "  We  give  thee  thanks,  0  Lord  God  Almighty, 
which  art  and  wast,  and  art  to  come,  because  thou  hast 
taken  to  thee  thy  great  power  and  hast  reigned."  Then 
shall  be  realized  the  beautiful  language  of  Cowper  : 

"  One  song  employs  all  nations  ;  and  all  cry, 
Worthy  the  Lamb,  for  he  was  slain  for  us. 
The  dwellers  in  the  vales  and  on  the  rocks 
Shout  to  each  other,  and  the  mountain  tops 
From  distant  mountains  catch  the  flying  joy, 
Till,  nation  after  nation  taught  the  strain, 
Earth  rolls  the  rapturous  Hosanna  round. 
Thus  heavenward  all  things  tend.     For  all  were  once 
Perfect,  and  ah1  must  be  at  length  restored. 
Haste,  then,  and  wheel  away  a  shattered  world, 
Te  slow  revolving  seasons ;  we  would  see 
A  world  that  does  not  dread  and  hate  his  laws. 
Come,  then,  and  added  to  thy  many  crowns, 
Receive  yet  one,  the  crown  of  all  the  earth, 
Thou  who  alone  art  worthy.     It  was  thine 
By  ancient  covenant,  ere  Nature's  birth, 
And  thou  hast  made  it  thine  by  purchase  since, 
And  overpaid  its  value  by  thy  blood. 
Thy  saints  proclaim  thee  King,  and  in  their  hearte 
Thy  title  is  engraven  with  a  pen 
Dipped  in  the  fountain  of  eternal  love." 

Well  may  all  exclaim,  "  0,  how  great  is  thy  goodness 
which  thou  hast  laid  up  for  them  that  fear  thee,  for 
them  which  trust  in  thee  before  the  sons  of  men." 

In  our  next  discourse  we  shall  attempt  to  explain  the 
difference  between  the  Millennial  Dispensation  and  the 
New  Jerusalem  state,  a  dispensation  yet  beyond  the 
millennial,  and  the  seventh,  and  last,  and  closing  state 


268  ADVANTAGES  AND   BLESSINGS,   ETC. 

of  redemption's  work  on  earth.  This,  it  would  seem, 
shall  be  introduced  after  the  thousand  years  are  finished, 
Satan  let  loose,  defeated,  and  overthrown,  the  wicked 
dead  raised  and  judged,  and  with  Satan  cast  into  the 
lake  of  fire.  Then  shall  the  righteous  of  the  NEW 
EAKTH,  joining  the  righteous  in  the  NEW  HEAVENS, 
enter  on  their  final  and  unchangeable  state  of  everlast- 
ing joy  and  peace.  Beyond  this,  revelation  neither  does, 
nor  can  we,  go.  There  must  we  rest  our  inquiries  and 
researches,  and  0  happy  will  we  be,  if  there  we  may  at  last 

"  Repose  our  weary  souls, 
And  find  eternal  rest, 
Where  storms  ne'er  beat,  nor  sorrows  roll 
Across  our  peaceful  breast." 


LECTURE    XIII. 

DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN  THE   MILLENNIAL  DISPENSATION 
AND  THE  NEW  JERUSALEM  STATE. 

"  And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth :  for  the  first  heaven  and  the 
first  earth  were  passed  away ;  and  there  was  no  more  sea.  And  I  John 
saw  the  holy  city,  the  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven, 
prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband.  And  I  heard  a  great  voice 
out  of  heaven,  saying,  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  he 
will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  shall 
be  with  them,  and  be  their  God.  And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from 
their  eyes ;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying, 
neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain:  for  the  former  things  are  passed 
away." — REVELATIONS,  xxl  1-4. 

THE  glory  which  shall  be  hereafter  revealed,  is  set 
forth  in  Scripture  by  one  expression,  as  remarkable  as 
it  is  incomprehensible  ;  it  is  called  "  an  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory."  To  apply  the  term  weight  to 
glory,  suggests  the  idea  of  materiality  as  belonging  to 
the  glory  hereafter  to  be  revealed.  Many  suppose  that 
the  glory  of  the  heavenly  state  is  altogether  moral  or  spir- 
itual in  its  character,  and  that  no  part  of  the  happiness 
of  the  redeemed  will  be  derived  from  material  objects. 
This  is  a  sad  mistake.  The  resurrection  body,  with  all 
its  restored  senses  of  hearing,  seeing,  smelling,  tasting, 
and  touching,  will  be  as  much  alive  to  the  beauties  and 
pleasures  of  outward  objects  as  the  present  body  is  in 


270  THE   MILLENNIAL   DISPENSATION 

this  life.  The  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth,  with  all 
their  splendid  adornments,  will  be  as  enchanting  to  the 
new  organs  of  the  risen  body,  then  incorruptible,  as  ever 
the  most  magnificent  landscape  of  this  fallen  earth  was  to 
these  sin-polluted  bodies.  Therefore,  it  is  not  altogether 
improper,  in  view  of  the  material  glory  of  the  new  Jeru- 
salem, as  it  is  described  in  the  chapter  from  which  the 
text  is  taken,  to  speak  of  its  exceeding  and  eternal  weight. 
There  is  a  substance  in  visible  and  material  objects  which 
can  be  determined  by  weight  and  measure.  The  gold 
which  adorned  the  temple  of  Solomon  was  of  an  exceed- 
ing though  not  eternal  weight.  The  glory  of  that  build- 
ing was  both  material  and  spiritual.  The  precious  metals 
with  which  every  thing  was  overlaid  constituted  the  ma- 
terial glory,  and  the  Divine  presence  the  spiritual.  Even 
so  will  it  be  with  that  CITY  and  TEMPLE,  of  which 
Jerusalem  and  its  holy  place  were  only  faint  shadows. 
"  That  city  which  cometh  down  from  God  out  of  heaven 
prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband/'  will  exhibit 
a  material  glory  of  surpassing  grandeur  and  a  spiritual 
glory  of  inexpressible  delight,  and  both  together  will  jus- 
tify that  expression  of  Saint  Paul,  "  an  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory." 

We  have  at  length  arrived  at  that  final  state  of  glory 
and  blessedness  in  the  history  of  our  race  to  which  all 
the  previous  dispensations  of  grace  have  been  gradually 
leading  us.  We  have  seen, 

1.  The  Adamic  dispensation,  with  its  seal,  the  tree  of 
life,  commencing  in  mercy  in  Eden,  and  ending  in  wrath 
at  the  flood. 

2.  The  Noatic  dispensation,  with  its  seal,  the  rainbow, 


AND   THE   NEW   JERUSALEM   STATE.  271 

commencing  in  mercy  after  the  deluge,  and  ending  in 
wrath  at  the  overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 

3.  The  Abrahamic  dispensation,  with  its  seal  of  cir- 
cumcision, commencing  in  mercy  at  the  call  of  Abraham, 
and  ending  in  wrath  at  the  overthrow  of  Pharaoh  in  the 
Red  Sea. 

4.  The  Mosaic  dispensation,  with  its  seal  of  sprinkling 
of  blood,  commencing  in  mercy  at  mount  Sinai,  and  end- 
ing in  wrath  at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  over- 
throw of  the  Jewish  polity. 

5.  The  Christian  dispensation,  with  its  seal  of  Baptism, 
and  the  Lord's  Supper,  commencing  in  mercy  at  the  as- 
cension of  Christ,  or  at  Pentecost,  and  to  end  in  wrath 
at  the  battle  of  Armageddon. 

6.  The  Millennial,  with  its  seal  not  yet  declared,  to 
commence  in  mercy  at  the  second  advent  of  our  Lord, 
and  to  end  in  wrath,  after  Satan,  let  loose  out  of  his 
prison,  gathers  an  army  together  against  the  camp  of  the 
saints,  and  is  hurled,  with  all  his  hosts,  in  the  lake  of 
fire,  and 

7.  And  lastly,  the  New  Jerusalem,  the  final  and  un- 
changeable state,  when  the  work  of  the  Redeemer  being 
completed,  and  the  season  of  probation  closed,  the  right- 
eous shall  all  enter  upon  that  eternal  state  of  perfect  and 
everlasting  enjoyment  which  shall  need  no  other  change, 
because  it  is  incapable  of  improvement.     Those  visions 
of  the  future,  in  which  it  was  given  to  the  prophets  to 
indulge,  extend  no  further  than  this.     This  is  the  ex- 
treme limit  to  which  Divine  revelation  conducts  us. 

In  attempting  to  unfold  this  last  dispensation  to  you, 
and  show  its  nature  and  peculiarities,  we  shall  first 


272  THE   MILLENNIAL    DISPENSATION 

1.  Endeavor  to  correct  some  errors  into  which  inter- 
preters of  the  Scriptures  have  fallen  with  regard  to  this 
final  period  of  glory  to  be  hereafter  revealed,  and 

2.  Show  the  difference  between  the  millennial  dispen- 
sation and  the  New  Jerusalem  state. 

1.  The  first  error  we  notice  is  that  of  the  SWEDEN- 
BORGIANS,  who  maintain  that  the  New  Jerusalem 
dispensation  has  already  commenced,  and  that  it  has  been 
in  existence  for  nearly  or  quite  a  century.  This  strange 
delusion,  the  offspring  of  a  visionary  enthusiast,  was  first 
promulgated  by  the  Swedish  seer,  (as  he  is  called,)  Em- 
manuel Swedenborg,  of  Stockholm.  He  announced  to 
the  world,  in  a  small  tract  published  at  London,  A.  D. 
1758,  that  he  saw  with  his  own  eyes,  when  broad  awake, 
the  last  judgment  take  place,  in  the  year  1757,  i.  e.}  one 
hundred  and  two  years  ago,  immediately  after  which  the 
New  Jerusalem  state  was  inaugurated  ;  that  the  Chris- 
tian and  the  millennial  dispensations  have  both  passed 
away;  and  that  the  present  state  of  the  world,  which  he 
called  New  Jerusalem,  was  its  final  and  perfected  state. 
Christianity  having  from  the  beginning  to  the  present 
time  taught  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  second  coming  to 
judge  the  world,  when  every  eye  should  see  him,  and  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  world  shall  stand  before  him,  this 
self-styled  apostle  pretended  that  the  Lord  had  chosen 
him  to  be  an  eye-witness  of  these  great  events,  and  hav- 
ing seen  them,  to  proclaim  them  abroad,  organize  a  new 
church,  and  declare  the  New  Jerusalem  state  begun. 
Accordingly,  on  the  19th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1770,  twelve 
disciples  were  sent  forth  to  preach  this  new  gospel  every- 
where, to  proclaim  the  everlasting  reign  of  Christ  begun, 


AND   THE   NEW  JERUSALEM   STATE.  273 

and  invite  all  men  to  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb,  which 
they  asserted  then  took  place.  As  is  usual  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  a  new  theory,  it  soon  found  advocates.  Its 
novelty  and  mysticism  commended  it  to  visionary  minds, 
Its  absurdity  and  unscripturalness  proved  no  objection 
to  such,  nor  its  utter  irreconcilableness  to  the  teaching 
of  the  universal  Church  from  the  beginning. 

This  visionary  theory  did  not  spread  with  the  rapidity 
that  others  quite  as  absurd  have  often  done;  it  seemed 
rather  adapted  to  minds  of  a  peculiar  cast,  to  visionary 
and  imaginative  minds.  Unlike  to  Mormonism,  which 
is  gross  and  sensual,  it  is  mystical  and  contemplative, 
and  therefore  its  converts  have  been  limited  to  a  smaller 
class.  The  sect  embracing  these  views  is  exceedingly 
small,  both  in  this  country  and  Europe,  and  was  in  a  de- 
clining state  until  recently,  when  it  was  stirred  up  by 
the  appearance  and  spread  of  what  is  called  Spiritualism, 
to  which  it  bears  a  close  affinity.  The  hope  of  large  ac- 
cessions from  this  quarter  seems  to  have  inspired  them 
with  new  energy,  but  that  hope  we  believe  has  in  a  great 
measure  proved  delusive,  for  Spiritualists  claim  to  be  far 
in  advance  of  them,  and  refuse  implicit  faith  in  the  teach- 
ings of  their  apostles.  The  number  of  their  followers 
does  not  exceed  thirty  thousand  in  the  United  States, 
while  the  Spiritualists,  though  of  yesterday,  claim  ten 
times  that  number.  The  Swedenborgians,  however,  pay 
more  deference  to  the  Scriptures  than  the  Spiritualists, 
although  their  system  of  explaining  it  is  at  war  with  all 
sound  principles  of  interpretation.  They  indulge  to  such 
excess  in  what  they  call  the  spiritual  or  internal  sense  of 
the  word,  that  they  sweep  away  almost  all  literal  truth. 

12* 


274  THE   MILLENNIAL   DISPENSATION 

By  this  process  they  get  rid  of  the  doctrines  of  the  sec- 
ond advent  of  Christ,  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  judg- 
ment to  come,  and  persuade  themselves  that  the  seventh 
dispensation  has  already  arrived,  before  the  fifth  has  in 
reality  closed. 

It  is  a  most  extraordinary  fact,  in  connection  with  this 
delusion,  and  one  which  should  have  opened  the  eyes  of 
its  votaries  to  see  its  absurdity,  that  since  the  first  pro- 
mulgation of  this  new  gospel,  and  the  establishment  of 
the  so-called  New  Jerusalem  Church,  A.  D.  1770,  the 
most  violent  conflicts  have  raged  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth  of  which  history  gives  any  account.  That  fierce 
contest  which  commenced  in  the  American  Revolution 
and  was  continued  in  the  French  Revolution,  and  ulti- 
mately involved  all  the  powers  of  Europe,  continuing  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  drenching  the  na- 
tions in  blood,  took  place  (can  any  one  believe  it?)  in  the 
New  Jerusalem  state  !  That  period  which,  according  to 
the  Scriptures,  was  to  be  a  period  of  universal  holiness, 
has  been  one  of  most  destructive  wars  !  !  ! 

Can  any  sane  mind  credit  such  an  absurdity?  And  let 
any  one  contemplate  the  state  of  things  throughout  the 
world  at  the  present  day,  and  ask,  is  there  any  resem- 
blance in  it  to  that  blessed  period  when  there  shall  be  no 
more  death,  nor  sorrow,  nor  crying,  nor  pain,  and  no  more 
sea  ?  Imaginative  minds  may  indulge  in  pleasing  fan- 
cies until  they  really  believe  them  to  be  facts,  but  sober 
thinking  persons  will  never  sacrifice  stern  realities  to 
beautiful  theories,  or  close  their  eyes  to  the  actually  ex- 
isting state  of  things. 

2.  The  next  error  with  regard  to  the  new  Jerusalem 


AND  THE  NEW  JERUSALEM  STATE.       275 

state  is  committed  by  those  who  confound  it  with  the 
millennial  state,  who  do  not  distinguish  between  the  sixth 
and  seventh  dispensations,  yet  to  come,  nor  notice  the 
clear  line  of  demarcation  which  divides  the  two. 

In  our  tenth  lecture  we  showed,  from  the  words  of  Saint 
Peter,  "  Nevertheless  we  look  for  a  new  heavens  and  a 
new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness,"  that  a  new 
dispensation  would  succeed  the  present,  in  which  the 
human  family  would  be  advanced  to  a  higher  state  of 
knowledge,  holiness,  and  happiness  than  it  has  ever  at- 
tained in  any  past  dispensation.  In  our  e'eventh  lec- 
ture we  showed,  in  the  words  of  Saint  John,  Kevelations 
xx.,  1-4,  that  the  righteous  dead,  who  at  the  second 
coming  of  Christ  shall  be  raised  to  live  and  reign  with 
Him,  shall  occupy  the  new  heavens,  and  be,  under  Christ, 
the  kings  and  priests  to  govern  and  minister  unto  those 
who,  in  the  millennial  dispensation,  still  in  the  flesh 
dwell  on  the  new  earth.  In  our  twelfth  lecture,  we 
showed,  from  the  words  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  Ixv.  17, 
the  manifold  blessings,  temporal  and  spiritual,  which  shall 
be  enjoyed  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  new  earth,  under 
the  government  of  Christ  and  His  saints. 

Now,  in  consequence  of  the  risen  saints  occupying  the 
new  heavens  at  the  same  time  that  those  in  the  flesh  in= 
habit  the  new  earth,  some  have  supposed  that  the  new 
Jerusalem  state  is  identical  with  the  millennial  dispen- 
sation. Interpreters  of  Prophecy  have  differed  on  the 
point  whether  that  holy  city,  the  new  Jerusalem,  whose 
glory  and  magnificence  are  described  in  this  chapter, 
with  its  twelve  foundations,  garnished  with  all  manner  of 
precious  stones  ;  its  gates  of  pearl,  and  streets  of  gold, 


276  THE  MILLENNIAL  .DISPENSATION 

comes  down  from  God  out  of  heaven  at  the  beginning 
or  end  of  the  millennial  dispensation.  Those  who  think 
its  appearance  immediately  follows  the  coming  of  Christ 
and  His  saints,  at  the  beginning  of  the  millennium,  and 
that  it  is  their  abode  daring  the  thousand  years'  reign, 
infer  that  the  new  Jerusalem  state  must,  of  course,  then 
begin,  and  belong  to  the  millennial  dispensation  ;  while 
others,  who  place  its  appearance  at  the  end  of  the  thou- 
sand years'  reign,  consider  the  new  Jerusalem  state  to  be 
subsequent  to  the  millennial  dispensation.  But  may  not 
the  new  Jerusalem  dispensation  be  subsequent  to  the 
millennial^  although  the  holy  city  itself  should  descend 
from  heaven  at  the  beginning  of  it  ?  In  support  of  this 
view, 

1.  Let  us  point  out  some  of  those  resemblances  be- 
tween these  two  dispensations,  from  which  it  has  been 
inferred  that  they  are  one  and  the  same  ;  and  then 

2.  Mark  those  differences  between  them,  which  show 
clearly  that  they  are  different  and  distinct  dispensations. 

Both  dispensations  have  their  existence  on  this  globe. 
The  human  family  in  all  past  and  future  time  will  retain 
its  connection  with  this  earthly  habitation  which  God 
created  for  it.  The  defacement  of  its  primitive  beauty, 
(which  has  been  so  sadly  marred  by  sin,)  is  no  argument 
against  its  being  a  future  happy  abode  for  the  redeemed. 
On  the  contrary,  there  is  a  strong  reason  why,  on  the 
very  spot  where  the  GKEAT  ENEMY  OF  GOD  AND 
MAN  sought  to  destroy  His  work,  and  gain  a  victory 
over  Him,  he  himself  shall  be  conquered  and  destroyed. 
Hence,  in  the  millennial  dispensation  peace  and  happi- 
ness shall  be  restored  on  this  earth  to  the  human  family 


AND   THE   NEW   JERUSALEM   STATE.  277" 

by  the  expulsion  of  Satan  from  it,  and  his  confinement 
in  the  bottomless  pit.  And  in  this  respect  it  agrees  with 
the  new  Jerusalem  dispensation,  during  which,  Satan 
expelled  also  from  the  aerial  regions,  shall  be  cast  into 
the  lake  of  fire,  and  the  saved  from  among  men  shall  en- 
joy peace  and  quietness  for  ever.  But  the  casting  of 
Satan  into  the  bottomless  pit  at  the  beginning  of  the 
millennium,  and  his  loosing  at  the  end  of  it,  for  a  little 
season,  followed  by  a  great  apostacy,  and  his  final  over- 
throw and  casting  into  the  lake  of  fire,  show  most  clear- 
ly that  the  millennial  and  new  Jerusalem  dispensations 
are  separate  and  distinct  states  of  the  Church  on  this  earth, 
not  cotemporaneous,  as  some  suppose,  but  the  one  preced- 
ing and  the  other  following  ;  the  millennial  dispensation 
imperfect,  the  new  Jerusalem  perfect  ;  the  millennial  a 
limited  dispensation  in  point  of  time,  the  new  Jerusa- 
lem unlimited,  i.  e.}  eternal.  Both  are  distinguished  by 
the  personal  presence  of  Christ,  and  both  by  the  hap- 
piness of  the  human  family  under  his  reign.  But  the 
new  Jerusalem  as  far  exceeds  the  millennial  dispensation 
as  that  does  the  Christian,  or  the  Christian  the  Jewish. 

Let  us  notice  some  of  the  points  of  difference.  The 
following  are  the  most  obvious  and  striking  :* 

1.  The  millennium,  or  Christ's  reign  on  the  earth  as 
the  Son  of  Man  and  Heir  to  the  throne  of  David,  is  ex- 
pressly limited  to  a  thousand  years.  During  this  time 
Satan  shall  be  bound,  and  be  cast  into  the  bottomless  pit. 

*The  fullest  contrast  that  we  have  seen  of  these  two  states,  maybe 
found  in  a  small  tract  published  by  the  Rev.  William  Ramsey,  of  Phila- 
delphia, a  few  years  ago,  which  we  would  recommend  to  the  reader  for 
perusal 


278  THE   MILLENNIAL   DISPENSATION 

Wars  shall  cease  to  the  end  of  the  earth,  and  Christ's 
dominion  shall  be  universal.  But  at  the  end  of  the  thou- 
sand years  Satan  shall  be  loosed  a  little  season,  and  gath- 
er a  great  army,  and  make  an  attack  upon  the  camp  of  the 
saints,  and  of  the  beloved  city,  i.  e.,  the  Jerusalem  which 
is  on  mount  Zion,  when  fire  comes  down  out  of  heaven 
and  destroys  them,  and  all  are  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire, 
which  burneth  with  brimstone  ;  which  is  the  second 
death.  Then  immediately  follows  the  second  resurrec- 
tion, i.  e.j  the  calling  from  their  graves  those  who  had 
no  part  in  that  resurrection  which  took  place  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  thousand  years,  and  which  is  expressly 
called  the  first  resurrection.  Kevelations,  xx.  6.  But 
a  dispensation  which  commences  with  the  resurrection 
of  the  just,  and  ends  with  the  resurrection  of  the  unjust ; 
which  owes  its  abundant  happiness  in  some  degree  to  the 
expulsion  of  the  great  enemy  of  God  and  man  from  the 
dwelling  places  of  society,  and  yet  must  come  to  an  end 
when  He  returns  to  the  scene  of  His  former  triumphs  over 
the  weakness  of  human  nature,  can  not  be  that  final  state 
which  shall  know  no  change,  and  is  capable  of  no  ameli- 
oration. 

This,  then,  is  the  first  point  of  difference  between  the 
millennial  and  the  new  Jerusalem  states  of  the  Church,  or 
the  sixth  and  seventh  dispensations  of  God's  mercy  to  the 
children  of  men.  The  one  is  terminable,  the  other  eter- 
nal, in  the  heavens. 

2.  During  the  millennial  dispensation  the  sea  is  to  re- 
main, Ezekiel,  xlvii.  8-10  :  "  And  He  said  unto  me, 
these  waters  issue  out  of  the  sanctuary  towards  the  east 
country,  and  go  down  into  the  sea  ;  and  being  brought 


AND  THE  NEW  JERUSALEM  STATE.       279 

forth  into  the  sea,  the  waters  are  healed.  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  fishers  shall  stand  upon  upon  it,  from 
En-gedi  to  En-eglaim,"  (places  on  the  Dead  Sea,)  "and 
the  fish  shall  be  exceeding  many,  as  the  fish  of  the  great 
sea  ;"  that  is,  the  fish  of  the  sea  which  lies  east  of  Jeru- 
salem, now  called  the  Dead  Sea,  and  which  the  finny 
tribes  have  not  for  ages  inhabited,  shall  then  be  equal  to 
the  fish  of  the  great  sea,  i.  e.,  the  Mediterranean,  where 
they  have  always  been  abundant.  Also,  in  Zechariah, 
xiv.  8,  it  is  declared,  in  that  day  living  waters,  i.  e., 
waters  producing  life,  shall  go  out  from  Jerusalem,  half 
of  them  towards  the  former  sea,  i.  e.,  the  Dead  Sea,  and 
half  of  them  towards  the  hinder  sea,  i.  e.,  the  Mediter- 
ranean ;  in  winter  and  summer  it  shall  be.  That  these 
predictions  have  never  yet  been  fulfilled,  the  whole  world 
is  witness.  That  they  belong  to  a  future  age,  is  un- 
questionable. That  that  age  is  the  millennial  is  evident 
from  an  examination  of  the  Prophecies  in  which  they 
occur.  And  that  it  is  not  the  post  millennial,  or  the  new 
Jerusalem  dispensation,  is  equally  evident,  from  the  ex- 
press declaration  of  Saint  John,  Kevelations  xxi.,  that  in 
that  dispensation  there  was  no  more  sea.  Now,  certainly 
the  dispensation  which  has  no  sea  can  not  be  identical 
with  the  dispensation  which  has  a  sea.  It  must  be  a  dif- 
ferent and  subsequent  one. 

3.  After  the  thousand  years  of  millennial  rest  and  fe- 
licity have  expired,  preparation  is  evidently  made  for  a 
change,  in  which  the  happy  are  to  be  made  happier  still, 
and  the  miserable  still  more  miserable.  The  sea  gives 
up  its  dead,  and  death  and  hell,  i.  e.}  the  grave  and  the 
place  of  departed  spirits,  give  up  their  dead  ;  a  great 


280  THE   MILLENNIAL   DISPENSATION 

white  throne  is  set,  the  books  are  opened,  and  the  final 
doom  of  all  pronounced.  The  holy  city,  the  new  Jeru- 
salem, then  seems  to  come  down  from  God  out  of  heaven, 
i.  e.,  the  aerial  heaven,  in  which  it  was  visible  during 
the  millennium,  and  a  great  voice  is  heard,  saying,  "  Be- 
hold, the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men  ;"  and  He  that 
sits  on  the  throne  says,  "Behold  I  make  all  things  new." 
After  this  there  shall  be  no  more  crying,  nor  sorrow,  nor 
pain,  of  which  there  were  occasional  instances  during  the 
millennium,  (especially  when  the  child  died  an  hundred 
years  old,  and  the  sinner,  being  an  hundred  years  old, 
was  accursed,)  for  the  former  things  are  done  away. 
How  marked,  therefore,  is  the  difference  between  the  Mil- 
lennial and  the  New  Jerusalem  states  !  The  Great  Judge 
of  the  quick  and  the  dead  holds  his  grand  assize  at 
the  end  of  the  first,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  last, 
when  probation  ends,  and  eternal  retribution  begins.  No 
change  subsequent  to  this  event  is  noticed  in  the  Scrip- 
tures of  truth.  From  this  time  forth  the  destinies  of  all 
are  fixed  by  that  irrevocable  decree,  "  He  that  is  unjust, 
let  him  be  unjust  still  ;  he  that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  fil- 
thy still  ;  he  that  is  righteous,  let  him  be  righteous 
still  ;  he  that  is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still."  In  other 
words,  whatever  men  are  found  to  be  at  the  end  of  the 
millennium,  they  must  and  will  continue  to  be  through 
the  endless  periods  of  eternity. 

4.  In  the  millennial  dispensation,  the  city  of  Jerusa- 
lem, which  in  this  dispensation  has  been  trodden  under 
foot  of  the  Gentiles,  will  be  rebuilt,  and  will  then  be  the 
largest  city  that  has  ever  been  on  the  earth.  It  will  be 
nearly  ten  miles  square,  or  forty  miles  in  circumference. 


AND  THE  NEW  JERUSALEM  STATE.        281 

Vide  Ezekiel,  xlviii.  30-35.*  But  the  new  Jerusalem, 
the  abode  of  the  risen  saints,  is  to  be  twelve  thousand 
furlongs,  (vide  Revelations,  xxi.  16,)  i.  e.}  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles  square.  The  millennial  Jerusalem  shall  be 
built  upon  the  earth.  The  sons  of  the  stranger  are  to 
aid  in  building  up  its  walls,  Isaiah,  Ix.  10.  The  fir  tree, 
the  pine,  and  the  box  are  to  be  used  in  beautifying  it. 
Gold,  silver,  brass,  and  iron  are  to  enter  into  the  com- 
position of  that  city,  Isaiah,  Ix.  17.  But  the  new  Jeru- 
salem is  to  come  down  out  of  heaven,  already  prepared, 
and  adorned  as  a  bride  for  her  husband  ;  its  builder  and 
maker  is  God.  This  city  is  fifteen  hundred  miles  square, 
or  twelve  thousand  furlongs,  and  its  height,  and  length, 
and  breadth  are  equal ;  its  wall  is  to  be  of  jasper  ;  its 
foundation  garnished  with  twelve  varieties  of  precious 
stones  ;  its  twelve  gates  each  a  pearl ;  its  streets  of  pure 
gold  like  transparent  glass,  such  as  earth  does  not 
yield,  for  our  gold  is  opaque  and  yellow.  Such  a  city  as 
this  surpasses  and  ever  will  surpass  the  ability  of  our 
race  to  erect.  Earth  could  never  furnish  the  materials 
for  it ;  and  faith  itself  could  not  believe  the  wonderful 
description  of  its  size  and  splendor,  and  especially  its 
reality,  were  it  not  expressly  declared  that  it  is  the  sole 
work  of  the  "  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  of  all 
things  visible  and  invisible  ;"  or,  in  the  language  of  Saint 
Paul,  a  "  city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God." 

*  The  measuring  reed  which  Ezekiel  saw  in  the  hands  of  the  man  who 
was  directed  to  measure  the  temple,  vide  chapter  xl.  5,  was  in  length  six  cu- 
bits, and  a  hand  breath,  i.  e.,  about  ten  feet ;  and  the  city  described  in  chap- 
ter xlviii.  30-35,  was,  on  each  of  its  four  sides,  four  thousand  five  hundred 
measures,  which  would  make  it  the  largest  city  ever  built  on  earth. 


282  THE   MILLENNIAL   DISPENSATION 

5.  In  the  millennial  dispensation  a  temple  is  to  be  erect- 
ed of  great  magnificence,  differing  wholly  from  either  of 
the  former  which  have  stood  on  mount  Sion,  which  is  fully 
described  by  the  Prophet  Ezekiel,  in  chapters  xl. — xliv. 
This  temple  will  not,  (it  would  seem,)  like  the  former, 
stand  in  the  present  city  of  Jerusalem,  which  is  in  the 
bounds  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  as  divided  by  Joshua, 
but  be  some  distance  north  of  it  in  the  bounds  of  Judah, 
which  in  the  new  division  of  the  land,  as  foretold  by  the 
Prophet  Ezekiel,  xlviii.,  appears  to  be  north  of  Benja- 
min's portion  instead  of  south.  Compare  Ezekiel,  xlv.  1-5, 
and  xlviii.  8,  15-30.      It  is  perhaps  on  this  spot  that 
David's  Son  and  Heir  will  occupy  His  father's  throne, 
Luke,  i.  32,  and,  as  the  Prophet  Zechariah,  vi.  13,  de- 
clares, sit  and  rule,  and  be  a  priest  on  His  throne.      Vide 
also  Isaiah,  ix.  7.     But  in  the  new  Jerusalem  John  saw 
no  temple,  for  the  Lord  God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are 
the  temple  of  it,  Revelations,  xxi.  22.     Ceremonial  and 
sacramental  rites  having  terminated  with  the  millennial 
dispensation,  places  for  their  performance  are  no  longer 
needed  ;  all  praise  and  adore  the  Lamb,  which  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  throne,  face  to  face. 

6.  In  the  millennial  dispensation,  seed  time  and  har- 
vest, summer  and  winter,  day  and  night  shall  not  cease, 
vide  Isaiah,  Ixv.  22  ;  Amos,  ix.  13  ;  Zechariah,  xiv.  8. 
The  Prophet  Isaiah  declares,  xxx  18-26,  that  the  light 
of  the  moon  shall  be  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  the 
light  of  the  sun  shall  be  seven-fold,  as  the  light  of  seven 
days,  (in  one),  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  bindeth  up  the 
breach  of  His   people  and  healeth  the  stroke  of  their 
wound.     But  in  the  new  Jerusalem  there  is  no  need  of 


AND  THE  NEW  JERUSALEM  STATE.        283 

the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon  to  shine  in  it,  for  the  glory 
of  God  doth  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  there- 
of, and  there  is  no  night  there.  Revelations,  xxi.  23-25. 
The  risen  saints  in  that  dispensation  seem  to  be  for  ever 
discharged  from  all  terrestrial  conditions,  and  raised  to  a 
state  in  which  sowing  and  reaping,  and  changes  of  sea- 
sons, belong  to  them  no  more. 

7.  During  the   millennial  dispensation  there  will   be 
births   as    now.      The    Prophet   Isaiah,   Ixv.    20,    says, 
"  There  shall  be  no  more  an  infant  of  days"  i.  e.  short- 
lived infants.     This  was  explained  in  the  former  lecture, 
in  which  we  showed  also  how  great  would  probably  be 
the  increase  of  the  earth's  inhabitants  during  that  period 
when  the  longevity  of  the  Antediluvians  would  be  re- 
stored.    But  in  the  new  Jerusalem  they  neither  marry, 
nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  like  the  angels  of  God, 
being  children  of  the  resurrection.     Matthew,  xxii.  30. 

8.  During  the  millennial  dispensation,  there  will  also 
be  deaths  as  well  as  births,  although  the  former  will  be 
exceeding  few  as  compared  with  the  latter.    "  The  child," 
(says  the  Prophet  Isaiah,)  "shall  die  an  hundred  years 
old,"  (if  at  that  age,  which  shall  still  be  its  infancy,  it 
shall  incline  to  iniquity,)  "  but  the  sinner,"  (i.  e.,  infant 
sinner,)  "being  an  hundred  years  old,  shall  be  accursed." 
But  Saint  John  assures  us  that  in  the  new  Jerusalem 
state  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  xxi.  3,  neither  any 
more  curse,  xxii.  3,  for  the  former  things  are  done  away. 
This  then  appears  to  be  the  final  and  unchangeable  con- 
dition of  the  children  of  men.     How  different  from  all 
the   former,  not  excepting  the  millennial,  is  this  new 
Jerusalem  state ! 


284  THE   MILLENNIAL   DISPENSATION 

9.  In  the  millennial  dispensation,  the  inhabitants  of 
the  new  earth  shall  build  houses,  and  inhabit  them,  shall 
plant  vineyards,  and  eat  the  fruit  of  them ;  but  in  the 
new  Jerusalem  state  we  read  only  of  the  tree  of  life, 
with  its  twelve  manner  of  fruits,  which  it  bears  every 
month,  the  leaves  of  which  are  for  the  healing  of  the 
nations.     Does  it  not  appear  from  this  that  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  which  walk  in  the  light  of  the  city  which  is 
illumined  with  the  glory  of  God  and  the  Lamb,  xxi.  23, 
(not  the  earthly  but  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,)  belong  to 
an  inferior  dispensation,  and  consequently  that  the  mil- 
lennial and  new  Jerusalem  dispensations  can  not  be  the 
same,  although  the  holy  city,  the  metropolis  and  final 
home  of  all  the  redeemed,  is  seen  by  them  in  the  heavens, 
as  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  of  fire  was  by  the  Israelites 
during  their  pilgrimage  to  Canaan  ?     In  this  dispensa- 
tion we  can  only  see  by  faith  the  King  in  His  beauty, 
and  the  land  that  is  very  far  off.     Then,  perhaps,  the 
heavenly  glory  will  be  hung  out  to  the  admiring  gaze  of 
all  the  dwellers  upon  earth,  in  the  firmament  of  heaven. 

10.  During  the  millennial  dispensation,  animals  shall 
exist,  and  the  curse  be  taken  from  them,  either  in  whole 
or  in  part;  "  the  wolf  shall  lie  down  with  the  lamb,  and 
the  leopard  with  the  kid,  and  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall 
feed  together,  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox, 
and  the  sucking  child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp, 
and  the  weaned  child  put  his  hand  on  the  cockatrice's 
den ;  they  shall  not  hurt  or  destroy  in  all  God's  holy 
mountain."     What  a  change  from  the  present  state  and 
condition  of  things  !     In  the  new  Jerusalem  state  we 
have  no  account  of  the  existence  of  these  animals,  from 


AND   THE   NEW  JERUSALEM   STATE.  285 

whence  we  infer  it  to  be  another  and  a  subsequent  dis- 
pensation. 

11.  In  the  millennial  dispensation,  the  land  of  Canaan 
shall  be  divided  among  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  in 
sections  widely  differing  from  those  given  to  them  by 
Joshua,  according  to  the  command  of  God.    The  Prophet 
Ezekiel,  chapter  xlviii.,  describes  the  portion  which  each 
shall  have  as  running  from  east  to  west,  in  parallel  lines, 
from  the  Mediterranean  sea  to  the  river  Jordan,  a  divis- 
ion of  the  country  which  has  never  yet  been  made  among 
the  seed  of  Abraham,  but  which  awaits  its  fulfillment 
in  the  age  to  come.     But  no  distinction  between  the  seed 
of  Abraham  and  the  Gentiles  is  ever  referred  to  in  the 
new  Jerusalem  state.    That  seemed  to  belong  entirely  to 
the  "dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times,"  while  the 
various  probationary  periods  were  running  their  courses. 
It  began  with  the  third  dispensation  and  ends  with  the 
sixth,  the  seventh  being  the  last  and  perfect  state,  when 
there  shall  be  no  more  Jew  or  Gentile,  high  or  low,  rich 
or  poor,  for  "  Jerusalem  which  is  from  above  is  free,  and 
is  the  mother  of  us  all/'  and  gathers  into  her  arms  all  the 
redeemed  out  of  every  nation,  kindred,  tribe,  and  tongue, 
who  have  made  their  robes  white  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb. 

12.  The  last  point  of  difference  which  we  will  notice 
between  the  millennial  and  new  Jerusalem  states,  iss  that 
the  names  of  the  cities  which  are  each  to  be  the  metrop- 
olis of  its  respective  dispensation,  are  wholly  different. 
The  name  of  the  city  to  be  the  metropolis  of  the  new 
earth,  or  millennial  dispensation,  is  called,  "  JEHOVAH 
SHAMMAH,"  which  means,  the  Lord  is  there.     Ezekiel, 


286  THE   MILLENNIAL  DISPENSATION 

xlviii.  35.  The  name  of  the  city  which  is  to  be  the  abode 
of  the  risen  saints  during  the  millennium,  is  the  NEW 
JERUSALEM.  It  is  also  called  the  "great  city,"  the  "holy 
city."  Revelations,  xxi.  2,  10.  Now  if  this  comes  down 
from  heaven  while  the  Jehovah  Shammah  still  stands  in 
the  land  of  Judea,  about  thirty  miles  north  of  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Jerusalem,  and  becomes  the  ultimate  gath- 
ering place  of  all  those  who  are  written  in  the  Lamb's 
book  of  life,  as  declared  in  Revelations,  xxi.  27,  it  must 
be  because  there  is  intended  to  be  made  a  higher  devel- 
opment of  mercy  and  grace  to  the  children  of  men  than 
ever  before  was  made  :  in  other  words,  a  dispensation 
still  in  advance  of  the  millennial,  which,  with  all  its  bless- 
ings, was  still  an  imperfect  state.  From  these  various 
considerations,  we  conclude  that  when  the  thousand  years 
of  Millennial  blessedness  shall  be  spent,  the  endless  ages 
of  the  new  Jerusalem  glory  shall  begin,  and  roll  on, 
until  perhaps  the  new  earth  shall  receive,  in  place  of 
its  "  Jehovah  Shammah,"  that  city  which  hath  Twelve 
Foundations,  in  which  are  the  names  of  the  Twelve  Apos- 
tles of  the  Lamb,  and  whose  streets  of  gold,  and  gates 
of  pearl,  and  light  from  the  glory  of  God,  will  impart 
to  it  such  beauty  and  splendor,  that  heaven  itself  can 
scarcely  be  conceived  of  as  more  magnificent  and  attrac- 
tive. In  fact,  earth  will  be  made  heaven,  by  the  glory 
of  heaven  being  brought  down  to  it  ;  and  then,  truly, 
there  shall  be  no  more  death  or  curse,  for  the  former 
things  will  be  done  away.  Such  is  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints,  "  and  this  is  their  portion  from  me,  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts."  Who  can  refrain  from  joining  in  the  raptur- 
ous strain  of  the  poet  ? 


AND   THE   NEW  JERUSALEM   STATE.  287 

"  0  scenes  surpassing  fable,  and  yet  true  ; 
Scenes  of  accomplished  bliss,  which  who  can  see, 
Though  but  in  distant  prospect,  and  not  feel 
His  soul  refreshed  with  foretaste  of  the  joy  ? 
See  Salem  built,  the  labor  of  a  God  ; 
Bright  as  the  sun  the  sacred  city  shines. 
Thither,  redeemed  by  blood,  with  robes  made  white, 
Are  gathered  all  the  followers  of  the  Lamb. 
0  Zion  1  an  assembly  such  as  earth 
Saw  never,  such  as  Heaven  stoops  down  to  see  1" 

How  does  it  become  us,  who  are  still  in  this  land  of 
sickness  and  death,  to  lift  up  our  heads  and  rejoice  in 
the  hope  set  before  us  in  the  gospel,  singing,  as  we  travel 
to  Immanuel's  land, 

"Jerusalem,  my  happy  home, 

Name  ever  dear  to  me, 
When  shall  my  labors  have  an  end, 
In  joy,  and  peace,  and  thee  ? 

When  shall  these  eyes  thy  heaven-built  walla 

And  pearly  gates  behold  ; 
Thy  bulwarks  with  salvation  strong, 

And  streets  of  shining  gold  ? 

Oh  when,  thou  city  of  my  God, 

Shall  I  thy  courts  attend  ; 
Where  congregations  ne'er  break  up. 

And  Sabbaths  have  no  end  ? 

There  happier  bowers  than  Eden's  bloom, 

Nor  sin  nor  sorrow  know  ; 
Blest  seats  !  through  rude  and  stormy  scenes 

I  onward  press  to  you. 

Apostles,  martyrs,  prophets  there 

Around  my  Saviour  stand  ; 
And  soon  my  friends  in  Christ  below 
Will  join  the  glorious  band, 


288  THE  MILLENNIAL  DISPENSATION. 

Jerusalem,  my  happy  home, 

My  soul  still  pants  for  thee  ; 
Then  shall  my  labors  have  an  end, 

When  I  thy  joys  shall  see." 

To  this  song  of  hope  let  us  add  the  prayer  of  faith  : 
0  God,  who  hast  prepared  for  those  who  love  thee  such 
good  things  as  pass  man's  understanding,  pour  into  our 
hearts  such  love  toward  thee,  that  we,  loving  thee  above 
all  things,  may  obtain  thy  promises,  which  exceed  all  we 
can  desire  ;  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 


tJIITBESITY 


THE   END. 


14  DAY  USE 

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